A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk crew partnered with good Samaritans from the Calista Marie on July 24 to rescue the captain and three crew when their fishing vessel capsized in the Kupreanof Strait near Raspberry Island.
One of the crew of the capsized Grayling was rescued by the captain of the fishing vessel, who jumped into 47-degree water to get to him.
“That fisherman didn’t hesitate,” said Lt. Kevin Riley, an Air Station Kodiak Jayhawk pilot. “It is testament to how tough those fishermen are and how far they will go to help their fellow Alaskans.”
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage received a call on VHF-FM channel 16 at 3:25 p.m. from the crew of the Calista Marie saying they had responded to the capsized vessel. The captain of the Grayling bulled one of his crew aboard the Grayling’s purse seiner skiff and initiated CPR. The M-60 Jayhawk crew then transported the man to emergency medical services in Kodiak.
The cause of the capsizing has not been determined.
Weather on scene was 17-mile-an-hour winds with five foot seas.
In a second incident less than 24 hours later, 14 miles north of Port Moller, near Kodiak Island, a Coast Guard Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk crew hoisted a man from a fishing vessel that was taking on water.
Command duty officer Lt. Dan Hendricks said the Coast Guard was notified by an Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist that the 43-foot gillnetter Transit was disabled in the surf and taking on water. The master of the Transit shot off red flares and stayed with the vessel. Two good Samaritan vessels tried to render assistance, but were unable due to surf conditions. Weather on scene was light rain with 23-mile-an-hour winds, five-foot seas and eight miles visibility.
“This mariner aided his rescue by wearing a survival suit, using a signaling device and staying with his vessel,” Hendricks said. “Those three elements combined with the prompt notification by Fish and Game allowed us to remove him from harm’s way.”
