Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on gCaptain in June 2010 and is reposted every Memorial Day Weekend by popular demand. Many thanks to the parents who have over the years shared this important information. Please Click HERE to share this article with your facebook friends. By Mario Vittone The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and … [Read more...]
Coast Guard Rescues Dog from Icy Lake – Your Feel Good Video of the Day
A yellow lab is lucky to be alive after a fall into the icy waters of Lake Michigan. Coast Guard crews at Coast Guard Station Frankfort, Michigan were going about their morning Tuesday when they noticed the lab swimming amongst the ice in Betsy Lake right outside their window. Luckily for the dog, the first responders jumped right into action, sending a swimmer out to … [Read more...]
Hurricane Survival – No Place for Absolutes
By Mario Vittone As I write this, the Coast Guard is still searching for two sailors missing from the the tall ship Bounty; the ship itself lies on the bottom of the Atlantic; and speculations have begun about what exactly happened out there. (Hurricane Sandy didn’t exactly sneak up on anyone.) If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that … [Read more...]
US Navy Stumbles Upon Man Floating in the South China Sea
Amongst the floating trash, sea life, and immense shipping traffic found near the Strait of Malacca, a man was spotted floating in the South China Sea on Saturday by a pair of incredibly sharp lookouts on board the US aircraft carrier, John C. Stennis. The desperate man was a Malaysian fisherman who for some reason, had found himself alone, far from land, without his boat, … [Read more...]
CG Rescue Swimmers – No Not Those Rescue Swimmers
When you think of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, the first thought that comes to mind is of a Coastie jumping out of a helicopter to pull someone to safety. But the Coast Guard has another kind of swimmer… the cutter surface swimmer. The cutter surface swimmer program takes volunteer crewmembers with strong swimming skills and maritime knowledge and trains them in … [Read more...]