Tragedy as hero dad who saved six crew after WWII bomb explosion at sea dies suddenly at home

A dad-of-five who saved the lives of six people after a World War II bomb exploded at sea has died suddenly at home, two years after his 'heroic' act.

Lewis Mulhearn, who is from Skelmersdale, was caught up in an explosion of a WWII bomb when the crabbing gear of his vessel Galwad Y Mor disturbed the 250kg device. It detonated on the seabed 37 miles off the coast of Skegness.

The boat was destroyed by the Luftwaffe bomb, but as the captain, a badly-injured Lewis coordinated the rescue of his shipmates. The last man on the vessel, he ensured they were all picked up by a nearby Danish wind turbine ship, LancsLive reports.

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The device had lay dormant off the coast of Cromer, Norfolk, for more than 80 years prior to the explosion, but its blast forced the ship into the air and left Lewis with head injuries and several broken bones. Despite this, he used the emergency radio and sent a distress signal, meaning the entire crew survived.

Two years since his heroic actions, Lewis suddenly passed away at home on January 21. Despite saving the lives of all six of his crew, Lewis, who was born in Ormskirk and started his fishing career in Torbay, Devon, never saw himself as a hero, only someone that was doing his job.

Paying tribute, Lewis's sister Toni Mulhearn said: "There have already been a few articles about how he saved his crew and how he won his award but ultimately, he's just a lovely bloke. He never saw himself as having done something extraordinary, he always just said 'I'm the skipper, it was my job.' He never saw himself as a hero."

Thanks to his training and quick thinking, Lewis saved the lives