Tragic and dangerous situations, in which people find themselves in, warrant a speedy reaction and help. Those situations can be caused by natural disasters, terrorist attacks or traffic accidents. In this attachment the biggest rescue missions in the history of mankind are included.
Among others you will see the rescue of Mussolini from captivity, drama which happened with the crew of Apollo 13, and from recent history the rescue of miners from Chile mine that spent underground 69 days. These actions demand great will and persistence, and above all courage and resolve. How big can a desire for life be and how great can efforts of rescue people become, you will find out in this attachment about 10 most interesting rescue missions.
10APOLLO 13 – 1970
The 3rd lunar landing mission suffers an oxygen tank explosion. The crew, navigate 200.000 miles of space before NASA devise an emergency landing procedure.
09MS PRINSENDAM – 1980
This liner sinks off the coast of Alaska, 120 miles from the nearest airstrip. The 524 people aboard are rescued from life boats after a nearby supertanker picks up their SOS call.
08OPERATION OAK – 1943
Elite SS troops in nine gliders descend on the Gran Sasso Mountain to free an imprisoned Mussolini. The Mussolini is completed without a shot being fired.
07COPIAPO MINING ACCIDENT – 2010
A mine collapse traps 33 Chilean miners. They spend 69 days trapped underground, longer that anyone in history before being rescued.
06OPERATION JERICHO – 1944
700 inmates, including resistance fighters, are held in amines prison. The allies air bomb it killing 102 prisoners, 258 escapes, most are recaptured.
05THE DONNER PARTY 1846 – 1847
87 US pioneers trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They first eat their animals and then each other. Only 46 survive to greet the rescue party.
04THE CANADIAN CAPER 1979 – 1980
Six American diplomats escape the Iranian hostage crisis, hiding at the Canadian embassy. Posing as crew for a fake film called ARGO they are smuggled out by the CIA.
03MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON – 2009
US airways flight 1549 suffers a bird strike, taking out both engines. The captain crash – lands into the Hudson river and all 155 people onboard are rescued.
02RESCUE OF BAT 21 BRAVO – 1972
It was the largest rescue operation for one man in US Air Force history. After 11 days, 800 airstrikes and 11 dead airmen Iceal Hambleton was rescued from the Vietnamese jungle.
01ANDES FLIGHT DISASTER – 1972
16 people survive a plane crash in the Andes Mountains and resort to CANNIBALISM. After two months, two of the survivors trek for ten days and bring rescue.