People are being urged to remember the eight 'extremely brave, fearless and selfless' lifeboatmen who lost their lives 39 years today.

December 19, 1981 the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster saw the tragic loss of the crew of the Solomon Browne and of the coaster Union Star off the south Cornish coast near Mousehole.

It was in hurricane force winds that the cargo ship Union Star was blown off course after it suffered steering and engine failure.

Falmouth Packet:

The crew of the Solomon Browne

The lifeboat Solomon Browne launched at 8.12pm in an attempt to rescue the eight crew from Union Star as it was about to hit the rocks.

Onboard were coxswain Trevelyan Richards, 56, second coxswain and mechanic James Stephen Madron, 35, assistant mechanic Nigel Brockman, the 43-year-old emergency mechanic John Blewett, 23-year-old Kevin Smith, 33-year-old Barrie Torrie, the landlord of Mousehole's Ship Inn Charles Greenhaugh, 46, and 23-year-old Gary Wallis.

The Union Star, a cargo coaster, was on her maiden voyage from The Netherlands to Ireland with eight people onboard, including captain Henry Moreton, his wife and her two teenage daughters.

The ships's engine cut out a few miles of Land's End and as the storm worsened, a distress call was made to Falmouth Coastguard.

A Sea King helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Helston was sent out, but in gusting winds of nearly 100 miles nd hour it was unable to get close enough to airlift anyone from the ship.

It was at this point, in waves at least 50 foot high, that the eight volunteer crew of the Penlee Lifeboat set out.

Such was their skill that four of the Union Star's crew actually managed to scramble aboard the lifeboat, but it was the lifeboatmen's dedication and insistence they continue trying to rescue the remaining four that proved fatal.

It was at this moment that radio contact was lost.

What happened next remains a secret of the sea, but the lifeboat never returned to shore and only some of the 16 bodies were ever found.

Despite heroic attempts to rescue the crew of the Union Star, both vessels hit the rocks. As a result both crews were lost.

Lifeboats from Falmouth and The Lizard then spent more than 36 hours at sea searching for survivors or bodies. It was the worst lifeboat disaster in history and stunned the country.

Penlee lifeboat Coxswain Trevelyan Richards was posthumously awarded the RNLI's Gold Medal. Bronze Medals were awarded posthumously to the remainder of the crew: Second Coxswain/Mechanic James Stephen Madron, Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman, Emergency Mechanic John Robert Blewett, Crew Members Charles Thomas Greenhaugh, Kevin Smith, Barrie Robertson Torrie and Gary Lee Wallis.

Posting on Facebook this morning Penlee lifeboat said: "When you wake this morning please take a few minutes to remember the eight extremely brave, fearless and selfless lifeboatmen, all sons of Mousehole, who made the ultimate sacrifice on the 19th December 1981. Their courage, dedication, determination, valour and heroism serves as a beacon to us all. Gone but never forgotten...greater love hath no man."

The tragedy hit the community hard and each year, on the anniversary of the disaster, the men are remembered by the Christmas lights in Mousehole being switched off for an hour, in poignant tribute.