Surgeon Captain Rick Jolly
His isn't a household name, but I remember him being interviewed in the Falklands after the Argentinian surrender.
This extract from his obituary gives an indication of his character.
Quote:
Jolly’s first personal act of bravery during the war came after the frigate Ardent had been hit by bombs in Grantham Sound on the afternoon of May 21. He was scrambled in a Wessex helicopter to help search for casualties on the water, and as they hovered close to the burning ship, through the plumes of thick, black smoke which towered into the sky, he saw a man struggling to stay afloat.
“It was clear he wasn’t going to survive for too much longer,” Jolly recalled. “I didn’t have my immersion suit on. Apart from my uniform, the only extra bits of kit were a pair of gloves and a thin life jacket; I hadn’t intended to go for a swim. Suddenly everything went quiet, as your body does when it prepares itself for serious demand. I just remember thinking: if I don’t act now this man will die …
“I dropped into the ocean, which was freezing: barely two degrees. My heart slowed down and my vision changed like I was in a tunnel. I bear-hugged him and before I knew it we were back in the helicopter cabin. I literally jumped on the sailor and he vomited up all the seawater. He was alive. I was exhausted.”
No sooner had Jolly caught his breath, than the Royal Marines aircrew-man in the helicopter cabin pointed down. Jolly knew what he meant, and taking a deep breath, prepared himself for the second plunge.
“I dropped into the water but I was too weak to lift the casualty. He was in a terrible state, with a huge gash in his head and blood all over his face. I submerged and placed a hook through his life jacket. He was in such a bad state, I’m not even sure he was aware he’d been saved. Even now, that whole experience fills me with the deepest spiritual sense of pride.” The second sailor also survived.
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Link
The above link is behind a paywall. The obit is well worth reading, but if it remains out of reach try the
BBC report.