THE SEA raged tempestuously; monstrous 60ft waves swept up by fierce hurricane winds threatened to swallow the Penlee lifeboat as it battled back to the stricken ship.

Looking down through the winter night's sky, a helicopter pilot watched the helpless lifeboat as it was washed on to the deck of the cargo ship and then off again.

Barely 50ft from the looming Boscawen cliffs, the lifeboat was glimpsed atop one of the huge waves before descending into a trough.

Then – nothing.

Falmouth coastguard, who had minutes earlier heard the strong voice of the coxswain confirm: "We've got four on board," desperately tried to make contact.

"Penlee lifeboat: Falmouth coastguard. Over."

Low, quiet static was the only response.

Again, "Penlee lifeboat: Falmouth coastguard. Over."

Never has a silence been more loudly heard.

The tragic events of December 19, 1981, will for ever be etched into the memories of those involved.

All eight lifeboat volunteers and the eight onboard the cargo ship Union Star were lost. Wives lost their husbands and 12 children lost their fathers. Mousehole was scarred indefinitely.

Each year, the village's Christmas lights are switched off between 8pm and 9pm on that fateful date.

The colours of the night draw back into the darkness, leaving only a cross, flanked by two kneeling angels, glinting brilliant, star-white.

There is no pomp or majesty about the celebrations; the village just remembers.

Andrew Munson, Newlyn harbour master then, as still today, said: "I shall never forget that night in all my years.

"Nigel Brockman, the lifeboat's assistant mechanic, said to me on December 17: 'We never stop; we'll go through anything.'

"Two days later, I went to his home and broke it to his wife and son Neil that the lifeboat was lost.

"It was awful – bloody awful. We went down to Lamorna when we knew she'd gone. We could see timber from the wreck being swept ashore. I could never forget it.

"They're all volunteers; they don't get paid. They put their lives at risk to save others, irrespective of what conditions are like. They made the ultimate sacrifice."

The crew – Barrie Torrie, Gary Wallis, John Blewett, Kevin Smith, Charles Greenhaugh, Nigel Brockman and Stephen Madron – were all posthumously awarded bronze medals by the RNLI. Coxswain Trevelyan Richards received the Institution's highest honour, the Gold Award.

Although their lives were lost, the eight heroes left a legacy which is still felt today.

Nigel Brockman's son, Neil, went on to serve as coxswain on the Penlee lifeboat. He had volunteered to go to sea that fateful night but was turned away; the coxswain insisted only one man from each family join the crew. He knew how bad it was going to be.

Patrick Harvey, the current coxswain, said portraits of the crew and Trevelyan Richards' gold medal still adorned the wall of the boathouse.

"It's still fresh in everyone's minds," he said.

"Even though years have gone by, we don't forget.

"I'm really honoured to be the coxswain of Penlee. My dad was good friends with the crew. I've been on it for 20 years and served with Neil for 16 years. It's a huge privilege and a big honour.

"Not many don't know what happened to Penlee; a life hasn't been lost since in the RNLI."

Not since the Titanic sank almost 70 years earlier had such a tragedy at sea gripped the nation.

The Queen wrote a letter to each of the widows, while the Duke and Duchess of Kent gave each of the families a silver cross bearing the initials of their loved ones.

Books were written and each year the tragedy is revisited.

Mike Sagar-Fenton, whose book Penlee: The Loss Of A Lifeboat was published ten years later, said: "I really wanted to know the whole story of what had happened.

"The things that impressed me most were, first of all, the sheer extremity of the conditions of the sea, which could give you nightmares – 60ft waves: rocks appearing from the troughs.

"I also wanted to highlight the part played by the other lifeboat stations that launched and the helicopter crews that were involved."

As the years have passed the pain and the feeling of loss have not waned.

However, where stories end, new beginnings are often found.

Now a new generation of volunteers – some born almost a decade after the tragedy – bravely boards the Penlee lifeboat in the service of others.

Sam Gillchrest, 23, joined the RNLI at Penlee in 2007. He has been on 46 emergency call-outs and spent 68 hours at sea on emergencies alone.

He said he, like other members of his generation, was determined to carry on where their predecessors left off.

"My dad was a lifeboat crew volunteer and it seemed appropriate to keep the family connection going, but I also wanted to be part of this very special team of lifesaving volunteers at Penlee who keep up a valuable tradition," he said.

The RNLI's divisional inspector for the South West, Adrian Carey, said: "This anniversary is always a poignant one for the RNLI in west Cornwall and for our charity's wider family community right around the coast.

"Every year we each take time to remember, but also to reflect on the crew volunteers of today and tomorrow who maintain a tradition of commitment and lifesaving at Penlee.

"With more than 50 emergency call-outs each year, the volunteers based at Newlyn continue to ensure the all-weather and inshore lifeboats are ready for action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

"I thank them and their families for all they do to uphold traditions that are at the heart of our 187-year-old charity."

The RNLI Standard from the Solomon Browne was on prominent display in Truro Cathedral on Monday, offering people the chance to light a candle and make a donation.

Prayers were said and a display board telling the story of the tragedy was set up around the standard.