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Fishing crew safe
- Thread starter breausaw
- Start date
starcrafttom
Active member
I'm glad those guys are out there. Can you imagine the body count every year if they were not? I have been reading sea novels lately and a hundered years ago is was "normal" to loose 30% of the crew in a around the world voyage. In my last book they lost 4 ships and 40% of the crews that made it. No wander they had to press gang people into the service.
They had to know that beaching under those circumstances meant that they might walk away but there would not likely be anything to salvage, (15 foot waves with 80W120G) blowing onto that beach. Glad the guys are OK, but sad to loose a 58 foot boat. Like Paul Harvey says, there is a Rest of the Story somewhere.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
1TUBERIDER
New member
Smart crew! Saved themselves by beaching the boat. Weathered the elements in a fine cabin then made way to a high point to be rescued. They might of even had some rum.
Sounds a lot better than the boat sinks and the coast guard is searching an area where they think they went down and the crew is dealing with survival in the cold, cold water with raging seas.
Moral of the story is self rescue!
Sounds a lot better than the boat sinks and the coast guard is searching an area where they think they went down and the crew is dealing with survival in the cold, cold water with raging seas.
Moral of the story is self rescue!
AstoriaDave
New member
The skipper graduated high school with my son. Good article in the local newspaper gives more detail, but is subscriber-access, only. Couple excerpts:
Coast Guard crews instructed the crewmen to head for shore and then to higher ground on the island to get away from a wind-whipped sheer cliff, said Brad Anderson, aboard the Coast Guard cutter Munro, one the ships involved in the rescue.
Hurricane-force winds kept the Coast Guard from lifting crewmen directly from the 58-foot-long Icy Mist,
The Coast Guard identified the rest of the crew as Dan Oliver, 46; Clint Packer, 43; and Terry Meyer, 29. Their hometowns were not available.
The drama started when the Coast Guard received a mayday call early Wednesday reporting that a boat was taking on water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios said from the command center in Juneau. The call was received by the vessel Arctic Fox and relayed to the Northern Glacier, whose crew contacted the Coast Guard.
Two larger helicopters, MH-60 Jayhawks, were launched from St. Paul Island, about 265 miles northwest of Akutan. They were unable to lift the crewmen off the vessel when winds reached as high as 120 mph.
[The skip's father] said that because of the winds' intensity, creative thinking from the Coast Guard was needed to eventually get the survivors into the rescue helicopter.
"They flew by and each person got in as the basket passed by," he said.
Coast Guard crews instructed the crewmen to head for shore and then to higher ground on the island to get away from a wind-whipped sheer cliff, said Brad Anderson, aboard the Coast Guard cutter Munro, one the ships involved in the rescue.
Hurricane-force winds kept the Coast Guard from lifting crewmen directly from the 58-foot-long Icy Mist,
The Coast Guard identified the rest of the crew as Dan Oliver, 46; Clint Packer, 43; and Terry Meyer, 29. Their hometowns were not available.
The drama started when the Coast Guard received a mayday call early Wednesday reporting that a boat was taking on water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios said from the command center in Juneau. The call was received by the vessel Arctic Fox and relayed to the Northern Glacier, whose crew contacted the Coast Guard.
Two larger helicopters, MH-60 Jayhawks, were launched from St. Paul Island, about 265 miles northwest of Akutan. They were unable to lift the crewmen off the vessel when winds reached as high as 120 mph.
[The skip's father] said that because of the winds' intensity, creative thinking from the Coast Guard was needed to eventually get the survivors into the rescue helicopter.
"They flew by and each person got in as the basket passed by," he said.
1TUBERIDER
New member
Since the crew appeared to be out of harms way,
Why did the CG have to send two choppers in the dangerous conditions?
I believe this is a situation where the pickup could have occured in calmer conditions instead of endangering all lives with the high wind.
Why did the CG have to send two choppers in the dangerous conditions?
I believe this is a situation where the pickup could have occured in calmer conditions instead of endangering all lives with the high wind.
1TUBERIDER":2b899x7e said:Since the crew appeared to be out of harms way,
Why did the CG have to send two choppers in the dangerous conditions?
I believe this is a situation where the pickup could have occured in calmer conditions instead of endangering all lives with the high wind.
The crew wasn’t out of harms way, there was no cabin to worm themselves in. These guys were exposed to the harsh elements on a desolate island in the Aleutians; the CG was on station and did the right thing by extracting the crew to safety as soon as possible.
The crew was also lucky their vessel turned bow into the seas otherwise they’d have swamped for sure and had a hell of time getting to shore. Jumping off onto a bolder strewn beach with 15ft waves crashing on your tail isn’t a cakewalk.
The CG can’t pick and choose the best time to make a rescue attempt especially 500 miles from nowhere.
starcrafttom
Active member
Cold, wind, wet, and on a beach with no food, water or shelter.. not what I call safe. given those conditions I give them one day tops even with the survival suits, if they had them. the cold kills quick.
1TUBERIDER":1bkw4aq4 said:Since the crew appeared to be out of harms way,
Why did the CG have to send two choppers in the dangerous conditions?
I believe this is a situation where the pickup could have occured in calmer conditions instead of endangering all lives with the high wind.
Calmer conditions might be in a week. lets leave YOUR ASS on a rock pile with 29deg water & 90mph wind gusts. You might change your mind about our Coasties wasteing fuel :moon Come to AK, learn something then make your < informed opinion. :roll: :lol: :lol:
Another option, Drop the crew some survival gear, MRE's and a radio. Less CG personnel endangerment, and then return and pick them up in calmer conditions.
OTOH, there is the consideration of the expected weather duration, the distance of a return flight and back again. The physical status of the survival crew would weigh heavily in the considerations.
My hats off to the USCG, they do a tough job and do it well. Glad they are out there, but hope I never need them.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
OTOH, there is the consideration of the expected weather duration, the distance of a return flight and back again. The physical status of the survival crew would weigh heavily in the considerations.
My hats off to the USCG, they do a tough job and do it well. Glad they are out there, but hope I never need them.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Its interesting how we take technology and daring for granted. If you want to know what it was really like to be washed up and stranded read this book -Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World- you will have a new appreciation for the maybe false safety of technology, and two widely disparate ways of dealing with disaster.
Eric
Eric
AstoriaDave
New member
As others have said: the crew was definitely not "out of harm's way." In addition, I would not presume to second guess decisions the USCG crew made on scene, with my armchair view of the situation. The Aleutians are a very harsh environment; fishing up there is a dangerous game. Kevin is a tough, smart, boat savvy kid. I'm glad he is still alive, and grateful to the Coasties who saved his bacon.
BTW, if you want a good read on one of the most tragic rescue scenarios in my area, grab Gary Hudson's They Had to Go Out, a recently published, well-researched account of the 1961 Mermaid-Triumph tragedy. Three Coast Guard vessels and a crab boat were lost on the Columbia River Bar in a failed rescue attempt in horrible conditions. In addition, all but one of the USCG crew on the Triumph were lost, and both guys on the Mermaid also died, a total of seven souls. Hudson has been there; he had worked with many of those who died, and had just been shifted from the Point Adams station to another duty, a week and a half before the incident. Here is a link, with reviews, one by a motor lifeboat crew member: http://www.amazon.com/They-Had-Out-Gary ... 1436381320
BTW, if you want a good read on one of the most tragic rescue scenarios in my area, grab Gary Hudson's They Had to Go Out, a recently published, well-researched account of the 1961 Mermaid-Triumph tragedy. Three Coast Guard vessels and a crab boat were lost on the Columbia River Bar in a failed rescue attempt in horrible conditions. In addition, all but one of the USCG crew on the Triumph were lost, and both guys on the Mermaid also died, a total of seven souls. Hudson has been there; he had worked with many of those who died, and had just been shifted from the Point Adams station to another duty, a week and a half before the incident. Here is a link, with reviews, one by a motor lifeboat crew member: http://www.amazon.com/They-Had-Out-Gary ... 1436381320
AstoriaDave said:
Agree that the crew was not totally out of harms way, but their circumstances once they were on land changed from being "in eminent danger of loss of life" to "in jeopardy of severe weather related hardship". There is a considerable difference on the mission priority ladder. In rescue training one concept is sometimes not given it's due. That being: through training, preparedness, and technology many circumstances can be overcome, but if you wind up become in need of rescue your self, or worse, get dead, One, you can't save anybody, and Two, you have complicated the rescue attempt for others.
There is an old saying from some mayor guy in California that goes something like " ..you just have to know your limitations". Nothing wrong with pushing the envelope, but in the end, hero's are more often lucky than perfect, and yes, they are usually prepared.
Just my humble opinion, and again, I salute the Coasties for doing well, a tough and lonely job.
On the book subject. From the area where Kevin and crew were fishing, there is a good book about two of the PNW fishing fleet and the tragic loss of a boats and crew. It details the search effort and the USCG investigation. Lost at Sea, by Patrick Dillon is the story of the worst disaster in the history of US commercial fishing. It is research to the nth degree, and tells the story about how a town was changed, and government was not. Enjoy.
Harvey
SleepyC
"As others have said: the crew was definitely not "out of harm's way." In addition, I would not presume to second guess decisions the USCG crew made on scene, with my armchair view of the situation. The Aleutians are a very harsh environment; fishing up there is a dangerous game. Kevin is a tough, smart, boat savvy kid. I'm glad he is still alive, and grateful to the Coasties who saved his bacon."
Agree that the crew was not totally out of harms way, but their circumstances once they were on land changed from being "in eminent danger of loss of life" to "in jeopardy of severe weather related hardship". There is a considerable difference on the mission priority ladder. In rescue training one concept is sometimes not given it's due. That being: through training, preparedness, and technology many circumstances can be overcome, but if you wind up become in need of rescue your self, or worse, get dead, One, you can't save anybody, and Two, you have complicated the rescue attempt for others.
There is an old saying from some mayor guy in California that goes something like " ..you just have to know your limitations". Nothing wrong with pushing the envelope, but in the end, hero's are more often lucky than perfect, and yes, they are usually prepared.
Just my humble opinion, and again, I salute the Coasties for doing well, a tough and lonely job.
On the book subject. From the area where Kevin and crew were fishing, there is a good book about two of the PNW fishing fleet and the tragic loss of a boats and crew. It details the search effort and the USCG investigation. Lost at Sea, by Patrick Dillon is the story of the worst disaster in the history of US commercial fishing. It is research to the nth degree, and tells the story about how a town was changed, and government was not. Enjoy.
Harvey
SleepyC
AstoriaDave
New member
Harvey from Sequim,
Point well taken. Your full explanation reads a lot better than the original contribution you made. I can drink to that. Maybe Kevin could, also. If I get to talk to him, I'll see what he thinks.
On the second book: that is one hell of a read. Definitely lays open the raw underbelly of economics and safety in the Aleutians. I could not put it down. Anybody interested in boat design, and how "adding things" can make a seaworthy craft into an unsafe one will be fascinated. Link to an excerpt: http://tinyurl.com/cuhfox
Point well taken. Your full explanation reads a lot better than the original contribution you made. I can drink to that. Maybe Kevin could, also. If I get to talk to him, I'll see what he thinks.
On the second book: that is one hell of a read. Definitely lays open the raw underbelly of economics and safety in the Aleutians. I could not put it down. Anybody interested in boat design, and how "adding things" can make a seaworthy craft into an unsafe one will be fascinated. Link to an excerpt: http://tinyurl.com/cuhfox
1TUBERIDER
New member
My thoughts may not have been liked and I don't know the area but these were the considerations.
Wind 100 mph is very dangerous to fly in. The article mentioned the danger the aircraft was in.
The picture reflected a boat well beached. A 58 ft boat has a cabin in it and the clothes the fishermen need for the conditions as well as safety gear and food. I think the crew would have been fine till the conditions bettered and they would have moved to safer ground if the vessel was being battered. No one was injured.
So if I were on the boat and the above described is true I would have gladly waited it out till the conditions were safe to fly in. I don't want others to die while rescuing me. The crew was not in the water offshore in the hazardous seas. To me they looked like they were on land or only as short distance from it. I believe that either staying on the boat if it wasn't being battered or leaving the boat and creating a shelter near by would have worked fine till a pick up in safer conditions could have happened.
The coast guard does an excellent job and the crews are always willing to test their limits. The pilot knows best and may have done best and everyone returned home safely. It was still a high risk rescue.
I believe in self rescue. I have had to many occasions in my life. I am glad I had the skill to do so instead of waiting for some one else to pick me up. When you cannot self rescue I hope some one can help you. I have been on both sides and my words are meant to point out an alternative to what happened not saying what happened is wrong. Yeah and even after reading some of the above comments, I would still throw you a line if you needed help.
Boat safely
Wind 100 mph is very dangerous to fly in. The article mentioned the danger the aircraft was in.
The picture reflected a boat well beached. A 58 ft boat has a cabin in it and the clothes the fishermen need for the conditions as well as safety gear and food. I think the crew would have been fine till the conditions bettered and they would have moved to safer ground if the vessel was being battered. No one was injured.
So if I were on the boat and the above described is true I would have gladly waited it out till the conditions were safe to fly in. I don't want others to die while rescuing me. The crew was not in the water offshore in the hazardous seas. To me they looked like they were on land or only as short distance from it. I believe that either staying on the boat if it wasn't being battered or leaving the boat and creating a shelter near by would have worked fine till a pick up in safer conditions could have happened.
The coast guard does an excellent job and the crews are always willing to test their limits. The pilot knows best and may have done best and everyone returned home safely. It was still a high risk rescue.
I believe in self rescue. I have had to many occasions in my life. I am glad I had the skill to do so instead of waiting for some one else to pick me up. When you cannot self rescue I hope some one can help you. I have been on both sides and my words are meant to point out an alternative to what happened not saying what happened is wrong. Yeah and even after reading some of the above comments, I would still throw you a line if you needed help.
Boat safely
Tuberider said:
AMEN
AstoriaDave, Thanks for posting that link. (Sorry about the brevity of the first post, no disrespect or second guessing intended.)
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
"The coast guard does an excellent job and the crews are always willing to test their limits. The pilot knows best and may have done best and everyone returned home safely. It was still a high risk rescue.
I believe in self rescue. ....my words are meant to point out an alternative to what happened not saying what happened is wrong. Yeah and even after reading some of the above comments, I would still throw you a line if you needed help.
Boat safely
_________________
Sea ya"
AMEN
AstoriaDave, Thanks for posting that link. (Sorry about the brevity of the first post, no disrespect or second guessing intended.)
Harvey
SleepyC :moon