TWO shipwrecked men clung to sea-lashed rocks in the middle of the River Clyde before being plucked to safety in a dramatic rescue.

The stranded pair’s stricken boat sank amid crashing waves — forcing them to scramble to the Gantocks Lighthouse for survival.

One eyewitness told the Telegraph today: “They were clinging to the actual lighthouse, as well as the rocks, for dear life.

“The waves were really pummelling them and the wind was so ferocious, even on the shore. Goodness knows what it must have been like out there.” Another onlooker said: “All the while the tide was rising around them, leaving them less and less rock to stand on, so time was very much of the essence.

“The pair of them must have been absolutely terrified. It was frightening enough watching it all unfold from the safety of the shore.” Gourock-based ferry MV Argyll Flyer abandoned her scheduled sailings to help in the Coastguard coordinated operation.

The vessel — which carries a fast rescue craft with outboard motor — kept a watching brief as close as she could to the Gantocks without running aground herself.

Meanwhile, an RNLI lifeboat from Helensburgh was scrambled to the scene after the alarm was raised by sharp-eyed police in Dunoon who spotted the sinking on CCTV monitors.

However the appalling conditions made it impossible for the rigid inflatable to get close enough to complete a rescue.

The Royal Navy’s Rescue 177 Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet in Prestwick had to be summoned.

A winchman was lowered down before harnessing the stricken men to a line while the aircraft’s pilot hovered above.

It is believed that the men — who weren’t wearing lifejackets — may have been fishing in a tiny craft which had no VHF radio.

Their boat had smashed into the Gantocks before rapidly slipping beneath the waves.

Another source told the Telegraph: “The wee boat was so close to the rocks it was blown onto them.

“I think that those onboard were very lucky they were near the Gantocks, otherwise who knows where they might have ended up.” Coastguard duty watch manager Dawn Petrie, in Belfast, told how she and her colleagues were informed of the emergency by police at around 8.50am yesterday morning and the helicopter rescue was completed 50 minutes later.

She told the Telegraph: “The Argyll Flyer very helpfully stayed close by while the Helensburgh lifeboat made its way over.

“We co-ordinated the operation with the help of our Clyde sector manager Peter Stewart, who was at the scene.

“The sea conditions were rough and it was simply not safe for the lifeboat to make any approach.

“However, the vessel and the Argyll Flyer were both there if the men had to take to the water.” A spokesman for Argyll Ferries said: “The coastguard asked the Argyll Flyer to stand by in case she was required to assist, but in the end she wasn’t needed and was able to resume her service.

“It is a maritime convention that ships in the vicinity of an incident can be called on to help and we are always happy to do so.” An RNLI spokesman described the sunken boat as being a ‘yacht’ which had ‘foundered on the Gantocks’.

He added: “The men were believed to be foreign nationals.” It is understood that the rescued men were flown ashore and were taken to hospital in an ambulance before being checked for symptoms of hypothermia.

They were later allowed to go home.