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The Coast Guard Auxiliary District 17 (Alaska) Coxswain Academy
happened to be out on the water with two auxiliary nonstandard boats
doing towing drills. On board auxiliary vessel 275594 were Shane
Taylor, coxswain; and his crew, Ray Miller and Richard Liebe; along
with Michael Cupit from Vancouver, B.C., a Canadian Coast Guard
Auxiliarist attending the District 17 Coxswain Academy as an
exchange student.
According to Taylor, "We had just completed a training evolution
towing a sailboat when we heard the call about a vessel taking on
water." Auxiliary vessel 275594, a 27-foot SAFE Boat, immediately
responded, as it was the fastest platform with twin 250 horsepower
outboards.
"We made the 20-mile transit at 40 knots," said Taylor, "and
arrived on scene to see a 40-foot charter vessel with 13 people
aboard making way at about 6 knots. The rear deck was awash, and all
passengers on the forward deck trying to balance the boat's
movement."
"We came alongside the stricken vessel, and all 11 passengers
were pulled aboard to the forward deck of the auxiliary vessel,"
Taylor said. "We removed all 11 passengers; then the vessel rolled
over on its side within 30 seconds after the last passenger was
removed. We backed away momentarily to clear the sinking vessel
while the two remaining people on board, the master and his crew
member, climbed the hull as it rolled. We then approached again and,
nosing up to the overturned vessel, we pulled the two remaining
survivors aboard."
"Within a minute of the last survivor boarding our boat, the
stricken vessel sank completely," said Taylor. "The sunken vessel's
life raft deployed and broke the surface approximately one minute
later."
Within five minutes of the sinking and recovery of all 13 people
by the Taylor and his crew, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Roanoke
Island arrived on scene. The cutter's small boat was deployed, and
all the survivors were transferred from auxiliary vessel 275594 to
the Coast Guard cutter. All 13 people from the sunken vessel were
then transported safely back to Homer, Alaska, shaken but unharmed
by the experience.
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 No members of the sunken vessel were forced to enter the water,
thanks to the timely arrival and skills of the auxiliary. "A
disaster like this is something we train for, but we hope it never
happens," said Taylor. "I couldn't be more pleased about how we
responded. The crew performed flawlessly under such adverse
conditions. Our training really paid off. And best of all, everyone
got to go home safe"
The cause of the sinking remains unknown.
 Survivors disembark
from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Roanoke Island in the small-boat
harbor at Homer, Alaska, after they were rescued by the Coast Guard
Auxiliary when their 40-foot charter boat unexpectedly sank in
39-degree waters.
[Photo by Stewart Sterling, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, District 17]
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed,
nonmilitary volunteers who assist the Coast Guard in all of its
varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement.
These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the
air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing maritime domain
awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public
education.
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an
act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and redesignated as
the auxiliary in 1941. Over 27,000 members donate millions of hours
annually in support of Coast Guard missions.
For more information on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary,
visit www.cgaux.org
or www.auxpa.org.
[Text from news release received from
the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary]
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