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2015 Summer Training Cruise

Day 41: June 10, 2015

Posted on: June 11, 2015

Location: 37 30.1 N 057 11.0 W   Course: 305   Speed: 12.6 kts
Weather: Cloudy   Wind: NW 25 kts.   Seas: Moderate sea swell

We departed Charleston on 17 May after a great port visit and set our sights on Spain. Less than a week later, Sailing Vessel (SV) Prodigal left Charleston as well, heading for Ireland. Neither vessel was particularly aware of the other at that time.

That changed today at 0800, roughly 500 miles from Nova Scotia, when the bridge was contacted about a sailboat that reported taking on water. When the Midshipman Officer of the Deck (MOOD) plotted the reported location or datum, we noted that TSSOM was 29 miles away. Captain Eadie directed the watch to close datum while we notified RCC Boston that we were responding. By 0945 we had visual sighting of the sailboat, SV Prodigal, but we were unable to establish communications until just after 1000. While the ship was closing in on SV Prodigal, the Deck Department was busy checking the fast rescue boats and rigging various boarding options. They had a cargo net fastened to the main deck and hanging down near the waterline which would provide a large target area for us to bring the two vessels together and allow the one person on SV Prodigal to climb away from the sailboat. The crew also had a Jacob’s Ladder ready for once the sailor got clear of SV Prodigal so that the rest of the climb would be easier.

Once communication was established we were able to determine that the vessel was not sinking immediately. The sailor aboard, Captain Michael Hurley, was still able to operate the boat but sufficient damage had been done during several days of storms that the structural integrity of the boat was now in question. The Captain Hurley indicated that he needed to be removed from the boat as it was not seaworthy so we made our approach to put the boat in our lee while she motored up to our starboard side. After transferring several loads of personal gear off of the sailboat, her Captain (the only person onboard) stepped across to the cargo net and began his climb up the side of TSSOM. We radioed the last known position of SV Prodigal as we proceeded on course for Portland and 10 minutes later a Search and Rescue (SAR) C-130 out of Newfoundland flew over us and marked the sailboats position as well. By noon, our new guest was enjoying a hot meal and getting settled for the transit to Portland.

Students today got a first-hand look at near disaster. Ships are few and far between out here and it was luck that put us in proximity to SV Prodigal. Several students participated in a fast decision making process as the crew identified unknowns and developed alternate plans for the variable answers to those unknowns until we had communications with SV Prodigal. Plans ranged from search patterns in case we did not find the vessel at datum, approach options should the vessel founder before our arrival, and transfer options for a single crew if the vessel was not underway. In the end, students got valuable training in Search and Rescue coordination and procedures, open ocean rendezvous, and hazardous passenger transfers. This also served to reaffirm why we train the way we do.

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