A 14 year old boy has died after falling from the rigging of a training ship on Sunday night. The Sea cadet was a member of crew on the flagship vessel TS Royalist a 97ft twin masted brig which had been taking part in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Sea Cadets in Portsmouth.
The boy is believed to have fallen nearly 30 feet from the rigging whilst assisting in a routine exercise, it is currently unclear to whether he was wearing a harness which is mandatory during this exercise. He is believed to have been in the water for around 4 minutes before being recovered by the ships rescue boat and airlifted to hospital by the Solent Coastguard Helicopter after a Mayday call was made. Unfortunately the boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
The teenager was part of 19 crew and 10 staff who had been aboard the ship since Friday.
Becky MacGibbon, spokeswoman for the Marine Society and Sea Cadets, said: 'It's absolutely tragic. 'It was a routine exercise that he had done 11 times over the weekend.
'It was a routine exercise they have carried out for 39 years.
'This is the first time there has been an accident.
'There was a sailing master, a bosun and a watch officer there at the time.'
Photograph by Mark Pilbeam and is copyrighted but licensed for reuse
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