The rescue of crew of five stranded on a life raft after their boat sank southwest of Dutch Harbor and an injured mariner aboard a vessel north of St. Paul Island kept the U.S. Coast Guard busy during the past week.
Coast Guard officials said that on Feb. 15 two helicopter aircrews searched and assisted the good Samaritan fishing vessel Kona Kai in locating the crew on a life raft after the commercial fishing vessel Pacific 1 sank some 40 miles west, southwest of Dutch Harbor. The Kona Kai crew safely recovered all five of the people aboard the inflatable life raft and transported them to Dutch Harbor, where they were reported to be in good condition.
The Coast Guard’s 17th District command center had been alerted by Communications Detachment Kodiak of a distress relay from the Kona Kai regarding the Pacific 1, which reported that it was taking on water and listing heavily with five people on board. The Kona Kai transited to the last known position of the Pacific 1 to assist, and the Coast Guard launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Cold Bay to search plus an Air Station Kodiak MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Dutch Harbor to assist.
The rescue occurred during 10 mph winds, seven miles visibility and temperature of 45 degrees.
On Feb. 18 a Coast Guard helicopter forward deployed to St. Paul medevaced a man with a compound fracture from the fishing vessel Kari Marie, some 201 miles north of St. Paul. Along with the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from St. Paul the Coast Guard diverted an Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules aircrew to provide communication coverage for the incident.
The man was transported to St. Paul for emergency medical services and reported to be in stable condition. Air temperature at the time was 34 degrees, with calm winds and four-foot seas, under overcast skies.
