A COUPLE have spoken of the dramatic rescue after their cruise ship hit an iceberg and sank.

Andy White and Lee Moulton of High Road, Hockley, were on an adventure holiday on the MS Explorer in the Antarctic Ocean.

The party of 154 tourists, tracing a route of the British explorer Ernest Shackleton, were rescued from the icy waters as the wreck of their boat, which had filled with water after its hull was pierced, disappeared into the sea.

Andy, 51, said: "We just knew our lives were hanging in the balance and we had to do everything possible to stay alive."

The couple were in their cabin as the Explorer hit what is believed to be a submerged iceberg on November 23.

Lee, 50, a nurse, said: "We certainly heard and felt the jolt of the impact when we hit the ice.

"We got straight out of our beds and didn't discuss it, as we knew what we had to do."

The captain sounded the alarms and everyone was told they may have to evacuate the ship.

Lee said: "I knew prior to the alarms sounding that something was wrong.

"For me, that was the most terrifying point. That sound has stopped me from sleeping since the incident."

The couple were evacuated from the ship into lifeboats. As they were lowered into the sea, they were almost crushed by another lifeboat from above them.

Andy said: "We knew we had to get as far away from the ship as possible to avoid being crushed, and I don't think I have ever rowed so hard in my life."

The boat drifted away from the ship towards the pack ice which had hit the Explorer.

Andy said: "We were then presented with a second problem. There was a real danger this may have broken up our boat, too."

The boat avoided the ice and its passengers were rescued five hours later by a Norwegian ship. Lee said: "When I think about it now, I can hardly believe how lucky we were.

"Our lives were hanging by a thread and we were close to not making it out of the situation."

The couple, who recently moved to Hockley from Leigh, returned home last week and are settling back into family life with their children.

Andy, a naval architect and director of a recruitment company, said: "It has given us confidence that you can face up to an experience that is tough, and ultimately life-threatening.

"That doesn't mean we are going to rush into it again though!"

Website gallery ANDY has posted pictures of the drama on the internet.

He said: "How do you tell this kind of story without photos?

"A picture tells a thousand words and by putting these photos on the internet, I think I've achieved that."

He was unable to take photos on the lifeboat as he and his partner fought to survive, but captured everything afterwards.

"I wanted to show our friends and family what we went through."

Click on the link to see Andy's gallery