A Coast Guard aircrew assisted four people aboard a fishing vessel in danger of sinking late Thursday night (02-02-17).
The 53-foot F/V Pacific Star was taking on water in the vicinity of Fairweather Ground, approximately 50 miles southeast of Lituya Bay.
Video of Coast Guard lowering a dewatering pump to the Pacific Star:
Video by Petty Officer 1st Class William Colclough, Air Station Sitka
The captain called Coast Guard Sector Juneau at 9 a.m. on Thursday. He reported the fiberglass longliner was taking on water through a hatch, toward the rear of the vessel. All crew members donned survival suits and headed toward Lituya Bay.
Sector Juneau launched two aircrews to assist – one Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk crew and one Air Station Kodiak HC-130 crew.
At 10 p.m. on Thursday, the Sitka crew lowered a dewatering pump to the Pacific Star. The captain reported the pump keeping up with flooding, and decided to continue sailing closer to shore.
The Kodiak crew flew overhead and maintained communication with the Pacific Star, while the Sitka crew refueled in Yakutat. The tug Bering Titan also escorted the Pacific Star, in case the situation deteriorated.
At 8 a.m. on Friday, the Pacific Star made safe transit to Graves Harbor. There, the vessel dewatered and made repairs, before getting underway to Sitka. The Good Samaritan vessel Sherrie Marie was anchored nearby. The F/V Sherrie Marie is escorting the Pacific Star, as it makes its way back to Sitka under its own power.
In a press release, Lt. Kailee Evereteze, Sector Juneau command duty officer, said, “Good Samaritans play a key role in many situations encountered in southeast Alaska. They often provide critical communications and other assistance to mariners in remote areas.”
Weather on scene was 9 to 11-mph winds and 3 to 4-foot seas.
