A great story of our Search and Rescue crews at work in the dangerous seas of the North Pacific.
“It was like an apartment building on its side”Feb. 16, 2011 By Holly Bridges
Members of 103 Search and Rescue Squadron, 9 Wing Gander, N.L. battled 100-kilometre an hour winds at sea in late January to perform what some crew members say was the most challenging boat hoist of their careers.
The mission pushed man and machine to the limit, all in an effort to pluck an ailing seaman off the deck of a Liberian container ship 170 nautical miles (approximately 315 kilometres) southwest of St. John’s, N.L. Under the international Beaufort scale of wind speed ranging from 0 as calm to 12 as a hurricane, this was a seven. Even the Hibernia oil platform, where crews normally refuel before returning home, was closed because of high winds.
“We train every day for this kind of mission so we can pull it off in sea state seven,” says flight engineer (flt engr) Master Corporal Murray Slack, a former Army infantryman and aircraft maintainer who performed the hoist as part of his training aboard the CH-149 Cormorant.
“It was intense,” says MCpl Slack. “We were working hard. It was the worst boat mission I have ever done for weather. All my other hoists were pretty tame.”
Full StoryL http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/v2/nr-sp/index-eng.asp?id=11500
These brave hardy members of Canada's Search and Rescue crews put their lives on the line many times in many ways to assist stricken vessels at sea, rescue stranded hikers or motorists. They deserve a big hand and a pat on the back from Canadians.
Please Remember our troops where ever they may serve.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
