Boat that helped save 39 migrants returns to Plymouth

The trawler, the Arcturus, and its crew saved 39 migrants on early Wednesday morning

A fishing trawler which helped rescue 39 migrants attempting to cross the English Channel has returned to Plymouth.

A dinghy was found sinking in freezing waters off the Kent coast in the early hours on Wednesday.

A 19-year-old man has been charged over the deaths of four people who died in the Channel.

Skipper Raymond Strachan said his boat and crew were "just in the right place at the right time".

Captain Raymond Strachan said he had "tunnel vision" when saving the migrants

He said he woke up at 02:30 GMT on Wednesday to cries for help.

"I got into my wheelhouse, looked over the side and there was a person in the water in a life jacket... so the watchkeeper ran outside and threw a lifeline," he said.

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The rescue operation saw people in T-shirts and thin lifejackets shouting for help as people were pulled from the water.

Helicopters lit the scene as people were airlifted away.

Mr Strachan said there were about five to six people hanging off the sides of the dinghy, which at one point disappeared from sight.

He said: "My crew said, 'we won't let you go, we'll save you'... we've seen the life raft, some of the people were coming out of the life raft and swam towards the boat when they saw it.

"There were about 16 people aboard the boat, and then we lost sight of their dinghy, and it was a dark night."

The trawler returned to the docks in Plymouth on Sunday morning

Mr Strachan and his crew searched and spotted it on the starboard side and secured it to the boat.

"There were still a few people on it, they started climbing up over the fishing gear on to the boat, and my crew did an unbelievable job, they started helping them," he said.

Mr Strachan said his crew saved 31 people over two hours, including eight children.

"We were just focused to save as much lives as possible. It didn't feel real... this was something we'd never seen before, it didn't register," he said.