| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Press Release |
Date: Aug. 28, 2005 Contact: |
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ANOTHER 4 LIVES SAVED BY AIR STATION CLEARWATER CREWS CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Four lives were saved this weekend by Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews during two separate search and rescue cases. Two helicopter crews fought hurricane condition winds and seas to hoist four fishermen from life-threatening situations to safety. The Coast Guard received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert 8:00 Friday night from the 41-foot fishing vessel Mary Lynn. The Mary Lynn was sinking 25 miles west of the Dry Tortugas and the crew, Charles White of Madeira Beach, Mark Gutek of Madeira Beach and Anita Miller of Clearwater, were prepared to abandon ship into their liferaft if the vessel went completely under water. After two risk assessments throughout the night, the 6019 Jayhawk crew determined it was unsafe to attempt to hoist the three fishermen on the vessel or to drop down a pump due to sustained 75-knot winds and 45-foot seas. When morning came, the daylight and current winds of 50-knots allowed the helicopter crew to drop a rescue swimmer in the water about 8:00. The rescue swimmer instructed the fishermen to abandon ship one at a time at key moments and assisted them in the rescue basket for hoisting. The Mary Lynn crew was taken to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater where they were interviewed and released in good condition. Shortly there after, the crew of the 6018 Jayhawk helicopter, who had been assisting the 6019 during the Mary Lynn rescue, headed 35 miles north of Key West, Fla., to rescue Luis Lao of Key West from the 25-foot fishing vessel Maria Rita after a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater C-130 airplane crew heard his May Day call at 7:49 a.m. Once on scene at 8:45, the 6018 crew faced up to 40-knot winds and seas in excess of 8-feet but were able to hoist Lao to safety and bring him into Naval Air Station Key West where he was also interviewed and released in good condition. The owners of the vessels are responsible for coordinating commercial salvage plans for their boats. Editor's note - The crew of the 6019 Jayhawk helicopter will be available for interviews at Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater today. Video of both the 6019 and the 6018 cases will be made available as well. Media are asked to arrive at the air station at 2 p.m. (no earlier). ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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