Photo courtesy of the National Science Foundation

Update 2: 13 Jan 2012

A United States Airforce (USAF) C-130 Hercules aircraft departed McMurdo station at 12.35pm today (NZDT) with the 7 injured crew on board. Three of the men are seriously injured.

• The aircraft’s ETA in Christchurch is 8.45pm this evening (NZDT).
• The injured crew will be taken to Christchurch hospital on arrival for assessment and further treatment as required.
• Note that photos and video are not available. The USAF advise there will be no media access or interviews when the aircraft lands in Christchurch.
• RCCNZ’s role in the incident will come to an end once the aircraft lands in Christchurch

UPDATE 13 Jan 2012:

The USAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was unable to make its scheduled flight from Christchurch to McMurdo Base overnight because of weather conditions at the destination.

• The Nathaniel B. Palmer carrying the injured crew has arrived at McMurdo, and the injured crew are being transferred by helicopter to the base.
• They will be flown to Christchurch this afternoon (leaving approximately 12.15pm NZDT) on a special flight using a C-130 which was already at McMurdo. The flight is expected to arrive at Christchurch at around 8pm NZDT.

(MARITIME NZ) A United States Airforce (USAF) C17 Starlifter Globemaster III aircraft will leave Christchurch tonight to help recover seven crew injured in a fire on board the Korean fishing vessel Jeong Woo 2 in the Ross Sea early on Wednesday morning (NZDT).

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is currently working with a range of agencies to help facilitate the recovery of the seven injured men from the Korean vessel back to New Zealand for hospital treatment.

RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Greg Johnston said attempts were being made to get a team, including Vietnamese and Indonesian interpreters, on board the aircraft, which was already on a scheduled flight due to leave Christchurch about 9.30pm today.

“Weather permitting, it’s expected that the USAF aircraft will get to McMurdo base about 2am tomorrow (Friday), arriving about the same time as the American research vessel Nathaniel B Palmer, which is currently making her way through the ice with the seven injured crew on board.

“The rescue mission is, however, dependent on the weather and sea conditions, with fog at McMurdo currently causing poor visibility. However, a back up aircraft, a LC 130 Hercules based at McMurdo, is also available if the larger C17 aircraft can’t take off.”

Mr Johnston said once both the vessel and the aircraft had reached McMurdo, the injured crew would be transferred to the aircraft and flown back to Christchurch for treatment.

“All going well, the aircraft will depart McMurdo about 5am, arriving back in New Zealand around 10am, but there are still a number of factors that could cause this to be delayed.”

Two of the seven injured men have received extensive burns (50% and 30% respectively), but have recovered consciousness, and five others have received lighter burns injuries. The Nathaniel B Palmer has medical staff and facilities on board to assess the injured crew’s medical needs, with advice that they are currently stable. The ship’s progress will depend on ice and weather conditions. Three crew have died in the fire.

In the meantime, the 30 surviving crew are all on board the Jeong Woo 2’s sister ship, the Jeong Woo 3, with plans for the vessel to rendezvous with the Korean ice-breaker the Araon, which will collect the crew and take them back to Lyttleton, with the ship estimated to arrive on January 19.

Shot of the Jeong Woo 2 taken from the vessel Nathaniel B Palmer, Credit: Johnny Pierce/Nathaniel B Palmer

Once safe to do so, the wreck of the Jeong Woo 2 will be towed by its sister ship to a position north of 60 degrees south when her future will be decided.

The 51 metre fishing vessel Jeong Woo 2 caught fire in the Ross Sea about 2000 nautical miles (3704 kilometres) southeast of New Zealand and about 600 kilometres north-northeast of McMurdo Base.

A number of vessels responded to the vessel’s distress call, issued in the early hours of Wednesday morning (NZDT). The call was picked up by another Korean fishing vessel, Hong Jin 707, and relayed to RCCNZ by the New Zealand vessel Antarctic Chieftain just before 3am (NZDT) on 11 January.

Beyond Boot Camp; Rescue, Recover, Rewarm -  is a follow up DVD to Cold Water Boot Camp on the best techniques and practices used to safely recover hypothermic victims from cold water.  My job?  Easy.  Get in the water and stay there until I am hypothermic.  If you read my last article, then you know it will take at least an hour in the sub 40 degree lake to get my core temperature to drop that far.  I sign the form and think one more time, “what the hell am I doing here?”

Two days later I’m lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, violently shivering and in considerable pain.  The water temp on lake Eerie had dropped to 32.6 -  the effect freezing water has on your hands, feet, and other ….parts… is amazing.  Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht – the project’s medical director and the world’s leading authority on environmental injury – had lowered the max immersion time (thanks Doc) to insure that the pain was not accompanied by real damage. Still, me and the other idiots who signed the release form were in considerable pain and discomfort.  Looking up at the professional medics, firefighters, Coast Guard, and other municipal rescue workers ; I realized exactly what the hell I was doing there.  We were all learning things.

Being recovered from Lake Eerie – December 2010

It turns out that there are as many misconceptions about the treatment of hypothermia as there are myths about the condition itself, and if this project would help save lives like Cold Water Boot Camp did before it, then that was reason enough to be cold and wet just one more time.

The National Water Safety Congress released the DVD last winter, but I thought I’d share to gCaptain readers what we  learned about caring for victims of accidental cold water immersion.

Important Note: What follows is advice about caring for victims pulled from cold water – specifically tailored for mariners at sea.  This is because “at sea” is a place that often also means “hours, if not days, from a advanced care”.  That makes “at sea” a much different place than say “at the marina – or beach” where professional medical assistance is nearby.  As working mariners – the average gCaptain reader may need to handle victims from the water to full recovery – so this advice is for you.

Be careful getting them out: Approximately 20% of those that die from accidental cold water immersion – do so during the rescue phase. There are ways to get victims out of the water right and ways to do it very wrong.  That’s because depending on a number of variables including time in the water, age, health, and half a dozen others – victims of cold water immersion may be in a very fragile physiological state.

Just being in water does things to the human body that change it. The pressure of the water on the limbs – particularly the legs (because they are deeper) – forces blood out of the legs and into the core and this raises blood pressure. When the water is cold, we get the added effect of constricting blood vessels in the outer skin layers and extremities (vasocontriction – see The Truth About Cold Water) and this also raises core blood pressure.  The body is trying to keep the core warm and more blood in the core and less every where else helps.

Without digging in too deep – you should know that when a person spends long periods of time in cold water, they have changed physically.  Their bodies contain warm blood and very cold blood; their heart has a decreased ability to speed up when it needs to, and veins and nervous systems have been temporarily altered in such a way that may have them on an edge very close to significant heart malfunction.  They are fragile – and must be treated carefully: Here are some best practices for the recovery from the water phase:

• Recover them as horizontally as possible: If you can avoid lifting them out of the water vertically, do it.  If you must lift them out vertically, get them laying down immediately once on board.  The hydrostatic pressure on their body has made it easier for their bodies to maintain blood pressure – as soon as they are removed, the heart has to work harder – and a cold heart doesn’t do well at working harder.
• No walking: They shouldn’t be walking around until the are completely recovered.  There is some very cold water in those limbs and for the time being, you want it to stay there.
• Don’t make them work for it: Don’t ask them to “pull” or to exert themselves in their own rescue if it can be avoided.  Remember, they are in a fragile cardiovascular state and climbing that net after being in the freezing water may be the last thing they ever do.
• Remember – None of this is as important as getting them out: If you’re at sea, and the only way to get them aboard is by hauling them over the rail like so many pounds of tuna – then haul away. Just do it….carefully, and be very gentle with them once they’re aboard.
• Stay calm – move slow: They do have to get out of the water – but doing things slow will make them smooth and smooth is what you want. If recovered to your rescue boat, do not rush at full speed back to the ship.  Pounding through waves is just as bad for them as any other rough handling.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Get Them Dry:

Just because you got them inside and out of the elements, doesn’t mean that they aren’t still cooling off.  Wet clothes will continue to cool them off and hinder their recovery.  Getting them dry sounds easy enough, but this is another area where there is a right way and a wrong way to do things:

• All modesty and dignity can be reserved for another day – once you have them inside the cabin – absolutely every stitch of wet clothing comes off.  It is also better to cut clothing off (safely – medical bandage scissors are best) rather than have them endure the flexing and stretching of the limbs that occurs by pulling it off the regular way.  You want them laying down and moving as little as possible.
• Use towels to gently pat the water from their skin and hair – NEVER rub them dry.  Trying to rewarm a victim by vigorous rubbing of their skin actually has the opposite effect.  It makes them colder.  A victims skin contains the coldest blood in their bodies and by rubbing it, you essentially push it back into play before the body is ready for it.
• Thickness equals warms:  wrapping them in layers of loose fitting blankets and keeping them inside a warm, dry place is the first goal after removal from the water.  Everything you have done so far has been about preventing further heat loss: If they are out of the elements, dry, and covered up – you have done at least that.

To get an idea how being wet in a cold environment can effect the human body, watch this video shot during the first day of “Beyond Boot Camp”.  This section was filmed to show rescuers how to remove a victim from the water and to a waiting ambulance.  I was only in the water for a minute – but after exposure to the 24 degree air and blowing wind for just a few moments – my wet clothes really did a number on my ….comfort…the intense shivering is not an act.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keep Them Down

Now that they are dry and out of the elements – the recovery can begin.  If they are intensely shivering, that’s good.  But for those who have never seen it before, it is a little disconcerting.  It looks awful and feels even worse, but it is just the body trying to regulate temperature.  What I can tell you from experience is that the first ten minutes out of the water is far more painful than any ten minutes in it – but that if they are down and dry and shivering – things are looking very good.  What you want to do next is help them….wait for it…keep shivering

Get Them Calories:

If your recovered victim has been in the water long enough to be shivering violently, then they have been burning an awful lot of calories.  Depending on when they last ate, they may be running low on available fuel and need a boost.  Knowing that, what do you think is better for your freezing – shivering – crew member; a warm cup of water, or an icy cold soda?  (pick the soda) A warm sugary cocoa is better, but the point is that calories are more important than the temperature of the drink.  They need the calories to fuel the shivering until they are fully recovered.

Warm Them Up (maybe):

There are many methods and devices for adding heat to help rewarm hypothermic victims.  They range from complex medical devices like warm air infused blankets to simple heat packs or hot water bottles.  But if it was my ships hospital, I’d just make sure I had a simple heating blanket.  Put on low to medium they will provide radiating heat and everyone knows how to use them. Forced air systems have lots of parts to go bad, and heat packs can cause problems – even blistering – if they stay in contact with very cold skin.  Simply cranking the heat up in the cabin is another way to assist in recovery.  A warm bath or shower may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t.  Remember, the blood in their skin will be cold and not moving for a while.  What feels warm to you may be scolding hot to them.

One of my favorite myths about treatment is the old “climb in the sleeping bag with them” idea.  Don’t – do not – back off.  That may be a good idea to stay warm but not a good idea to re-warm a victim of cold immersion.  They do not need anyone pressing up against their cold skin and agitating their cold muscles.

Watch Them:

People recovering from cold water immersion can look miserable.  Their skin may be a red like a bad sunburn, they can shake violently, and they just sound like they are in pain – and they are.  But here is the thing: If you have done everything above and they are red and shivering and complaining about how miserable they are – they are probably just fine.  They are as uncomfortable as they have ever been in their lives, sure, but they are fine.  All you can do is let them lay there and get over it. Just watch them  until they are absolutely bored from laying there.  None of this “get back to work” stuff until hours have passed.  Of course, contact your medical authority and pass all pertinent information for recommendations.  Did they injest or inhale sea water? If they did, it can cause problems unrelated to the cold that may require a medevac just the same.

Continued Training:

To view the entire video series from Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp, USA – or to order the DVDs for use as a training tool at sea, please visit www.coldwaterbootcampusa.org.  Though produced primarily for professional medics and rescuers – the series is full of useful advice for anyone who works on or near the water.

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The media crew for Team Phaedo, one of the entries in this year’s Fastnet Race, was standing by Fastnet Rock when disaster struck on RAMBLER 100.  It’s incredibly fortunate this accident occurred in this area, or the 5 crew members who found themselves drifting away from the upturned yacht may not have been found in time…  The following are images from Team Phaedo’s media team as they supported the rescue of the Rambler crew.

Team Phaedo’s media crew plucks Rambler 100 skipper ,George David, from the ocean… thankfully all were wearing life preservers at the time of the incident…

Two yachtsmen owe their lives to the fliers of 771 Naval Air Squadron after a dramatic rescue in a gale 100 miles off Cornwall.

Aircrewman Sgt Tony Russell RM was forced to dive into the Atlantic and under a liferaft to haul one of the sailors to safety after the men had abandoned the Andrietta some 75 miles southwest of the Scilly Isles.

The yachtsmen sent an SOS when their boat’s engine failed, her sails were damaged and they were unable to steer.

When a Sea King from the Culdrose-based Search and Rescue squadron arrived on the scene, its crew decided the mountainous seas, strong winds and the violent pitching and yawing of the yacht made it too dangerous to winch the Andrietta’s crew off the boat.

Instead, they decided the safest method was for the sailors to get in the raft from where Sgt Russell could lift them safely.

Which he did with the first sailor, but when it came to rescuing the second yachtsman, the waves and wind caused the raft to capsize, throwing the sailor into sea.

When the Royal Marine returned to pick up the second yachtsman, there was no sign of him. After searching the waters around the liferaft, the sergeant dived underneath, found the sailor – but then had to extricate him from a tangle of ropes and lines.

Once he’d achieved that, the winchman lifted the yachtsman into the safety of the helicopter.

“The job was up there as ‘grade A’,” said Sgt Russell.

“It’s a strange thing to say, but I actually enjoyed the experience – although there were times when I thought my time was up.”

The two sailors he saved were unhurt, but shaken by their ordeal. Their yacht did not founder and was eventually brought back to harbour.

Aside from its high-profile Search and Rescue mission, 771 Naval Air Squadron plays a key role in training front-line Sea King aircrew for duties in Afghanistan with 854 and 857 Naval Air Squadrons.

771 also provides support to maritime counter-terrorism patrols over UK waters, as well as conducting any other general duties the Navy requires.

U.S. Coast Guard photos

This week’s incident photos are of the 89-foot passenger ferry Royal Miss Belmar grounded in the U.S. Virgin Islands on July 4, 2011.

According to a report by the USCG, the Royal Miss Belmar ran aground Monday night on a reef off the northeastern end of Great St. James Island.  U.S. Coast Guard crews aboard Boat Forces St. Thomas 25-foot response boat arrived on scene and coordinated the removal of the passengers to good samaritan boaters, and were able to successfully rescue all 98 passengers and 4 crew.  Five of the passengers reportedly sustained injuries onboard, including a baby.

No word on why the vessel grounded or the removal and salvage of the vessel.

We were alarmed to hear this morning that over the weekend, one of gCaptain’s oldest and dearest friends, Doug Pine’s tug sank in the Bering Sea.  Fortunately, Doug and his crew were able to get into their survival suits and climb aboard the barge they were towing before being rescued by a USCG helicopter with no reported injuries.

Listen HERE to the frightening mayday call from the Aries [U.S. Coast Guard audio courtesy of Communication Station Kodiak]

We’ll update as we learn more and check the gCaptain forum thread for the latest info from members.

UPDATE: Doug Pine has provided us with the following update on the condition of him and his crew.  From the gCaptain forum:

My crew:
Drew Williams
Scott Wilson
Jasmine Abovian

and I are safe and sound on St. Paul Island. We’re trying to figure out how to get home without pissing off the TSA since we can’t prove we are who we are.

I’m sorry to have somehow gotten myself into another sea drama.

I’m thrilled and joyous that the four of us make it off the tug. It was calm, cool, collected, and professional on the part of all of us. Not a scratch on anyone. Coming alongside the barge in 6 foot seas, listing 30 to starboard and holding it there long enough to get us all on board was the most challenging boat driving I’ve ever done. I had time to go all stop and center the rudder, and then I was across.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, from all of us.

Doug

Posted below is the U.S.C.G.’s release on the incident:

KODIAK, Alaska – A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued the four crewmembers of the tug Aries from their barge 109 miles east of St. Paul Island Sunday afternoon after the 68-foot tug sank in the Bering Sea.

The helicopter rescue crew arrived on scene at about 1:34 p.m. and hoisted the crewmembers. They were safely flown to St. Paul Island with no reported injuries. The crew was able to transfer from the Aries to the barge before the tug sank.

For more information contact Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally at 907-321-4176.

From USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group Public Affairs Office

USS CAPE ST. GEORGE, Arabian Gulf (NNS) — Guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) provided assistance to an Iranian dhow after receiving a distress call, Jan 31.

Bridge watchstanders aboard Cape St. George reported receiving a distress call at approximately 8 a.m. from a small fishing vessel about eight miles away.

Upon receiving the call for help, Cape St. George sent an assistance team to assess the situation and provide aid to the crew of six Iranians aboard the dhow.

The rescue team attempted to repair the dhow’s dewatering pumps, but were unable to stop the flooding. The fisherman were brought aboard the rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) as the dhow continued to sink.

All fisherman were assessed to be in good health by Cape St. George’s medical personnel and were transferred to an Iranian customs vessel, which was patrolling the area.

USS Cape St. George is deployed with Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility, supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dustin Kelling/Released)

This weeks incident photo comes to us via Ben Strong of Amver.

If not for the partnership between Pole Star and Amver the Greek ship Vanessa A would never have been identified to divert and assist two German sailors on Dec. 29, 2010.  Couple that partnership with the online Amver surface picture request form and it was a rescue hat trick!

Rabat to the rescue

MRCC Rabat used the online form to request Amver information when they were notified of a 406 Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) in their search and rescue region.  Within minutes of receiving the position of the Greek ship, rescue authorities in Rabat requested they divert and save the two Germans.

The Greek race to rescue

Thankfully the Vanessa A, managed by Kouros Maritime Enterprises, is a subscriber of Pole Star’s Fleet Management package which allows their ships to automatically send Amver reports without any manual entry from the bridge.  Within 30 minutes of being notified of the distress situation the crew of the Vanessa A was on the scene and engaged in rescue operations.

Photo credit: crew of the M/V Vanessa A

Just in from the Associated Press…

MOSCOW – A Russian icebreaker labored Monday through howling winds and heavy snow as it tried to reach icebound ships in the Sea of Okhotsk where more than 500 seamen are trapped.

Three of the vessels have been trapped since Friday in ice estimated to be two meters (6 1/2 feet) thick. The state news agency RIA Novosti said two more ships became stuck on Monday.

The Sea of Okhotsk is an arm of the northern Pacific to the west of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

A statement from the Transport Ministry said there was no immediate danger to the crew on the three ships stuck since last week, who have sufficient food and water. The Ministry said an icebreaker was expected to reach their vicinity early Tuesday.

RIA Novosti cited a local coast guard official as saying winds on the sea were up to 30 meters per second (more than 65 mph).

The three ships that have been trapped since Friday — a fishing vessel, a refrigerated freighter and a scientific research ship — are in a tight convoy. The two others are about 20 nautical miles (35 kilometers) away.

Every year, the Unite States Coast Guard releases a video compilation of the most compelling rescues of the year and today the USCG released its 2009 compilation.  The video (shown above) highlights 11 rescues, each representing one the service’s 11 statutory missions.

The top 11 video compilation includes (in no particular order):

• The rescue of a paraglider pilot who crashed on the shoreline of Cape Lookout near Tillamook, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
• The capture of suspected pirates from a response to a vessel distress signal from Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 409 while operating under Combined Task Force 151.
• A medical evacuation of a crewmember from a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Wash., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
• The simultaneous pursuit and interdiction off two drug smuggling boats 80 miles of the coast of Guatemala by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf.
• The rescue of two crewmembers from a fishing vessel on fire 10 miles off the coast of Long Beach, Wash., by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Active and aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
• The rescue of two people from a burning boat near Corpus Christi, Texas, from an aircrew from Sector Corpus Christi, Texas.
• The rescue of six people from their capsized vessel two miles from the Columbia River, Wash., by a boatcrew from Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
• The response to US Airways flight 1549 emergency landing in the Hudson River near Manhattan, N.Y., by boatcrews from Sector New York.
• The rescue of a man whose canoe flipped in heavy surf in the Necanicum River near Gearheart, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
• The dewatering of the fishing vessel Blue Diamond 90 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J., from the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish.
• The rescue of three people, their cat and dog during the Red River Valley floods from an aircrew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich.

The USCG is encouraging the public to vote online at the Coast Guard’s YouTube channel, , for their favorite video in the Coast Guard’s best video of 2009 contest.  The Coast Guard Compass, will be highlighting one video per day starting Dec. 21 through Jan. 1.

Adm. Thad W. Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard had this to say.

“As the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard, it has been my pleasure to serve with such dedicated men and women who sacrifice so much to serve our great nation,” said Adm. Thad W. Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.  “I am truly grateful for their hard work and dedication. During 2009, they committed themselves to maintaining the nation’s maritime safety, security, and environment. They are America’s Maritime Guardians.  The best videos of 2009 clearly illustrate they are always here to protect and ready to serve.”

In 2009 America’s Coast Guard:

• Screened more than 248,000 commercial vessels and their 62 million passengers and crewmembers before arrival in U.S. ports, identifying nearly 400 individuals in a person of interest watch list.
• Maintained a contingent of six patrol boats and 400 personnel to enforce United Nations sanctions in the Arabian Gulf, train Iraqi naval forces and protect Iraqi critical maritime oil infrastructure.
• Kept 352,862 pounds of cocaine and 71,234 pounds of marijuana from reaching the United States, while nabbing 322 suspected smugglers.
• Saved more than 4,747 lives and responded to 23,555 emergencies.
• Issued 73,168 merchant mariner credentials to qualified mariners
• Conducted more than 14,000 inspections of U.S. flagged vessels
• Investigated nearly 3,600 pollution incidents
• Conducted 49,276 armed patrols to protect critical infrastructure or key resources
• Maintained a 98 percent rate of availability for 50,000 short-range aids to navigation that helped mariners more safely navigate our nation’s 95,000 miles of coastline, 25,000 miles of waterways and 12,000 miles of inland waterways that comprise the U.S. Marine Transportation System.

LINKS:

2007 – USCG Top Rescue Videos

2008 – USCG Top Rescue Videos

More rescue videos from USCG