A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka aircrew rescued a man and his two dogs after his fishing vessel sank in Freshwater Bay, southeast of Hoonah, Alaska, today.
The aircrew arrived on scene and easily located the individual on shore, who was found wearing a survival suit and signaling the helo with a flare.
Several vessels in the area heard the mayday transmission from the distressed individual and provided their antennae height and latitude and longitude coordinates to the Coast Guard crews, which were used to help refine a search area.
“This demonstrates the importance of coordination and communication between our Coast Guard crews and the local Alaskan vessels who were able to assist us in locating and rescuing the mariner,” said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Trevor Layman, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center. “The mariner was well prepared for an emergency and utilized a flare to direct us to his specific location. All these factors allowed us to do our job in an efficient manner to bring the man and his dogs safely home.”
Press release:
https://content.govdelivery.com/.../bulletins/3334559...
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up