The Beer Coastguard team has looked back on an ‘experience they will never forget’ to mark the 10th anniversary of the MSC Napoli.

The grounding of the stricken container ship on Branscombe’s shore has gone down in history as one of the biggest and most expensive shipwrecks of all time.

From the coastguard, a crew of 12 spent 1,084 hours in the first eight days assisting the ship’s security team, reporting missing containers or carrying on patrols on the beach.

A Beer Coastguard spokesman said: “10 years ago we were watching a rescue of crew members from a container ship just outside the English channel in the Atlantic.

Little did we know our next shout would last 922 days in total.

“The MSC Napoli was brought into Lyme Bay and grounded in the shallows between Branscombe and Weston.

“We were paged at 8.54am on the 20th the Ops room’s words....”you know that container ship that is breaking up in the channel, its coming into Branscombe”

That was followed by a stunned silence, on our part, and that was the beginning. The beginning of an experience that will never be forgotten.

“Obviously we were not there every day of the 924, but the first 8 days we and our neighbouring teams did not get much sleep.

“We were there for every significant operation that involved the Napoli for the next two-and-a-half years”

See this Friday’s paper for a special pull out to mark the anniversary.