KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The 60-foot Nordic Mistress slips beneath the waves of the Gulf of Alaska May 22, 2011, 80 miles north of Kodiak. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak rescued the five members of the crew from a liferaft after they abandoned ship. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Devin Lloyd
Five Anchorage residents were rescued by the Coast Guard after their vessel began taking on water shortly before noon Sunday
The 60-foot Kodiak-based pleasure craft Nordic Mistress sent a mayday call reporting that they were sinking 85 miles north of Kodiak and were abandoning ship.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was launched from Air Station Kodiak, while a HC-130 was diverted to the location to search for the crew of the Nordic Mistress.
The crew was found at 12:35 p.m. near the partially submerged vessel. They had donned survival suits and were in a life raft surrounded by debris.
They were hoisted to the helicopter and taken to Kodiak.
An Anchorage Coast Guard search and rescue controller said the rescue went so smoothly in part because the people involved knew to put on survival suits and get into the life raft. He said it "could have been the difference between life and death" in this case.
He also credits the vessel crew and passengers for knowing how to properly use the VHF marine radio to call the Coast Guard.
Winds were 15 mph at the time of the rescue, with seas to six feet.
There was an unknown amount of fuel onboard the Nordic Mistress, and no pollution was reported from the incident
