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The Captain Frank Erickson Award annually recognizes a
rotary-wing aircrew that has demonstrated exceptional performance
while engaged in search and rescue operations.
This year The
Captain Frank Erickson Award was presented to Lt. John Hess, Lt.
Matthew Vanderslice, Petty Officer 2nd Class Derrick Suba, and Petty
Officer 3rd Class Evan Staph for their daring rescue in February
2015 of a father and son aboard the sailing vessel Sedona.
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A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod helicopter crew returns from
rescuing a father and son from a sailboat about 150 miles south of
Nantucket, Mass., Feb. 15, 2015. After navigating through low
visibility and near hurricane force winds, the crew safely hoisted
the men and returned to Air Station Cape Cod. (U.S. Coast Guard
photo contributed by Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod.)
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During a severe winter blizzard, the MH-60 Jayhawk
helicopter crew launched from Air Station Cape Cod after a
406 MHz EPIRB signal registered to the Sedona was activated
approximately 150 miles south of Nantucket.
Despite
navigating through convective cells in near zero visibility,
the helicopter crew quickly located the beleaguered vessel
as it rode precariously over waves which, at times, crested
40 feet.
“The vessel was pitching and heaving
violently, and by the time we started hoisting, the
visibility came down to approximately a quarter mile with
heavy freezing rain,” said Vanderslice.
After
establishing radio contact and conferring with the Sedona's
crew, Staph was hoisted down to the water to assist with the
transfer of the survivors from their vessel to the rescue
helicopter.
“It was an extremely difficult decision
to have the survivors enter the water,” said Vanderslice.
“They only had lifejackets and street clothes for
protection. If we were unable to recover them from the water
it would have been a death sentence.”
During the
subsequent recovery operations, a malfunction in the primary
hoist control further complicated the already challenging
rescue effort. Without the ability to recover hoist cable at
the normal rate, Suba had to deftly time the swells and
advise the pilot to climb as he simultaneously took in cable
to safely pluck the survivors, one at a time, from the
turbulent waters below.
Recalling this non-standard
recovery technique, Hess lightly remarked, “For the last
couple hoists, [we were] in a pleasant dance with the seas
and wind.”
As the hoisting continued, Staph remained
below, helping each survivor into the rescue basket as it
was delivered by the rescue helicopter. At one point, the
basket was caught by an intense gust of wind and rotor wash
which swung it dangerously towards one of the survivors.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staph placed
himself between the basket and the survivor, absorbing its
impact and receiving an intense static-electric shock which
knocked him unconscious.
“Our rescue could've turned
into a tragedy in that moment,” said Hess. Fortunately,
Staph came to with the survivor still in tow as he swam the
final distance to the rescue basket, which now floated
harmlessly atop the waves.
Once all personnel were
safely back aboard the rescue helicopter, the Jayhawk, crew
and survivors departed the scene and proceeded towards Air
Station Cape Cod.
While the mission had been
successful thus far, despite incredible odds, the danger was
far from over. With cloud decks at 300 feet and blizzard
conditions impairing almost all visibility, Hess said he had
to remind himself and everyone else they were not done, and
needed to stay focused.
As the crew raced home,
desperately low on fuel from the 300-mile roundtrip transit,
the remaining watchstanders at Air Station Cape Cod prepared
for the helicopter's arrival.
As plows cleared mounds
of new snow from the runway, other personnel creatively
provided visual cues for the pilot by spreading sea dye
marker atop the snow to assist with what would almost
certainly be a near whiteout landing.
“It was an all
hands on deck effort,” said Hess. “Everyone was at work that
day doing their part to help make sure we made it home.”
With two lives saved to show for their heroic efforts,
the bravery, ingenuity, and grit of the crew of 6033
helicopter rescue crew are in keeping with the finest
traditions of the Coast Guard and its long history of daring
maritime rescues.
By U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. James Christy
Provided
through
Coast
Guard
Copyright 2015
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