A COUPLE seized by Somali pirates could have been rescued by a team of Royal Marines who were within seconds of being deployed, it has been claimed.

The revelation that Paul and Rachel Chandler could have been pulled from the claws of the pirates, who are now demanding a £4 million ransom, pours cold water on previous accounts.

It had been reported that the crew of support vessel RFA Wave Knight, which regularly operates out of Plymouth, had been powerless to help the Chandlers as they were snatched from their yacht, Lynn Rival.

It was said the crew were not trained in hostage rescue and any action they took could have led to the Chandlers being killed.

But according to the Mail on Sunday, there were actually 20 Royal Marines on board and the elite commando troop were mustered and ready to go into action.

The details have been leaked to the paper by one of Wave Knight's crew.

The astonishing stand-off occurred on day six of the hostage crisis as the pirates attempted to transfer 59-year-old Mr Chandler and his 55-year-old wife to their mother ship, the Kota Wajar.

According to the source, the Marines were preparing for action and had been on a state of permanent readiness, known as Alert 60, for two weeks.

This required that they could muster within an hour.

Twice in the night, between 10pm and 1am, they went a step further, it was reported.

On each occasion the codeword indicating imminent action – Quickdraw – was repeated over the ship's intercom.

Each time the Marines gathered quickly on deck, in their all-black fatigues, balaclavas and night-vision goggles.

Close by, Royal Navy aircrew sat at the controls of the Merlin helicopter awaiting their start-up order.

But on each occasion the assault team was stood down.

According to the source, the pirates, still apparently believing that they were up against a supply ship, appeared almost contemptuous when they finally drew alongside the Chandlers' yacht and hailed those kidnappers already aboard.

The yacht was then casually hauled in and moored alongside the Kota Wajar together with the pirate skiffs.

Throughout this 20-minute period, the Chandlers and their captors could be fleetingly glimpsed as shadows and silhouettes in the supply ship's searchlight. Then they disappeared into the ship's hull.

The source said: "The mood among the Marines was one of intense anger and frustration. These guys were right up for it – absolutely champing at the bit."

It is thought the decision to stand down the fighting force might have been influenced by plans for a covert operation involving HMS Cumberland, which arrived a short time later.

According to the newspaper, a Special Boat Service team had been assembled and was ready to fly out of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

However, the troop was delayed and by the time they were picked up by HMS Cumberland, the window of opportunity had passed.

Mr and Mrs Chandler, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, were captured in the early hours of October 23 when armed men boarded their yacht as they sailed from the Seychelles towards Tanzania.

The elderly father of Mr Chandler, Alfred, 98, lives in Dartmouth, South Devon.