High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The Race to Save the Cougar Ace

I post this article because it presents a interesting backgrounder on people in the marine salvage community.

A industry that many have either never heard of or do not understanding what marine salvage companies actually do or go through to get the job done.

They are truly first responders and sometimes the only responders.

High Tech Cowboys of the Deep Seas: The Race to Save the Cougar Ace

Latitude 48° 14 North. Longitude 174° 26 West.

Almost midnight on the North Pacific, about 230 miles south of Alaska's Aleutian Islands. A heavy fog blankets the sea. There's nothing but the wind spinning eddies through the mist.

( Pix: The Cougar Ace lists at a precarious angle in Wide Bay, Alaska. Photo: Courtesy of US Coast Guard )

Out of the darkness, a rumble grows. The water begins to vibrate. Suddenly, the prow of a massive ship splits the fog. Its steel hull rises seven stories above the water and stretches two football fields back into the night. A 15,683-horsepower engine roars through the holds, pushing 55,328 tons of steel. Crisp white capital letters — COUGAR ACE — spell the ship's name above the ocean froth. A deep-sea car transport, its 14 decks are packed with 4,703 new Mazdas bound for North America. Estimated cargo value: $103 million.

Joshua Davis narrates this collection of photos and Coast Guard video taken during Titan Salvage's attempt to save the Cougar Ace.

(Video produced and edited by Wired's Annaliza Savage and Michael Lennon. Clips and photos courtesy of US Coast Guard and Titan Salvage.)

On the bridge and belowdecks, the captain and crew begin the intricate process of releasing water from the ship's ballast tanks in preparation for entry into US territorial waters. They took on the water in Japan to keep the ship steady, but US rules require that it be dumped here to prevent contaminating American marine environments. It's a tricky procedure. To maintain stability and equilibrium, the ballast tanks need to be drained of foreign water and simultaneously refilled with local water. The bridge gives the go-ahead to commence the operation, and a ship engineer uses a hydraulic-powered system to open the starboard tank valves. Water gushes out one side of the ship and pours into the ocean. It's July 23, 2006.

In the crew's quarters below the bridge, Saw "Lucky" Kyin, the ship's 41-year-old Burmese steward, rinses off in the common shower. The ship rolls underneath his feet. He's been at sea for long stretches of the past six years. In his experience, when a ship rolls to one side, it generally rolls right back the other way.

This time it doesn't. Instead, the tilt increases. For some reason, the starboard ballast tanks have failed to refill properly, and the ship has abruptly lost its balance. At the worst possible moment, a large swell hits the Cougar Ace and rolls the ship even farther to port. Objects begin to slide across the deck. They pick up momentum and crash against the port-side walls as the ship dips farther. Wedged naked in the shower stall, Kyin is confronted by an undeniable fact: The Cougar Ace is capsizing.

He lunges for a towel and staggers into the hallway as the ship's windmill-sized propeller spins out of the water. Throughout the ship, the other 22 crew members begin to lose their footing as the decks rear up. There are shouts and screams. Kyin escapes through a door into the damp night air. He's barefoot and dripping wet, and the deck is now a slick metal ramp. In an instant, he's skidding down the slope toward the Pacific. He slams into the railings and his left leg snaps, bone puncturing skin. He's now draped naked and bleeding on the railing, which has dipped to within feet of the frigid ocean. The deck towers 105 feet above him like a giant wave about to break. Kyin starts to pray.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 4 am.
A phone rings. Rich Habib opens his eyes and blinks in the darkness. He reaches for the phone, disturbing a pair of dogs cuddled around him. He was going to take them to the river for a swim today. Now the sound of his phone means that somewhere, somehow, a ship is going down, and he's going to have to get out of bed and go save it.

It always starts like this. Last Christmas Day, an 835-foot container vessel ran aground in Ensenada, Mexico. The phone rang, he hopped on a plane, and was soon on a Jet Ski pounding his way through the Baja surf. The ship had run aground on a beach while loaded with approximately 1,800 containers. He had to rustle up a Sikorsky Skycrane — one of the world's most powerful helicopters — to offload the cargo.

Rich Habib, Senior Salvage Master
Photo: Andrew Hetherington

Ship captains spend their careers trying to avoid a collision or grounding like this. But for Habib, nearly every month brings a welcome disaster. While people are shouting "Abandon ship!" Habib is scrambling aboard.

He's been at sea since he was 18, and now, at 51, his tanned face, square jaw, and don't even try bullshitting me stare convey a world-weary air of command. He holds an unlimited master's license, which means he's one of the select few who are qualified to pilot ships of any size, anywhere in the world. He spent his early years captaining hulking vessels that lifted other ships on board and hauled them across oceans. He helped the Navy transport a nuclear refueling facility from California to Hawaii. Now he's the senior salvage master — the guy who runs the show at sea — for Titan Salvage, a highly specialized outfit of men who race around the world saving ships.

(Full Story Wired Magazine)

MARTIME NOTES:

Messing About In Ships Podcast #12 - Special Interview of US Coast Guard Rescue of Sailors Aboard the Yacht Sean Seymour II

February 25, 2008, 4:33 am
Filed under: podcast, shownotes

Here is the inspiring interview with the US Coast Guard helicopter rescue crew that saved the lives of three sailors aboard the yacht Sean Seymour II.

File Download:Messing About In Ships 12 - Special Interview

Interviewees:

• Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Drew D. Dazzo, H-60 Rescue Swimmer
• Lieutenant Commander Nevada A. Smith, H-60 Aircraft Commander
• Lieutenant Junior Grade Aaron G. Nelson, H-60 Copilot
• Aviation Maintenance Technician Second Class Scott D. Higgins, H-60 Flight Mechanic

Final log entry by Jean Pierre de Lutz, owner of Sean Seymour II

Robin Storm blog: Saved from the Angry Atlantic

Watch for future episodes with interviews with the C130 flight crew and the Sean Seymour II captain/owner.

RS

US Coast Guard HH-60 crew receives award for May 7th rescue

Its confirmed, on December 19th the four US Coast Guard HH-60 crew members will receive awards for the extraordinary rescue of the crew of s/v Sean Seamour II last May 7th.

The vessel caught in a sub-tropical depression subsequently named Andrea, was further battered by a rogue wave estimated above 100 feet approximately 200 miles off Cape Hatteras North Carolina. rom left to right, swimmer Drew Dazzo who in extraordinary circumstances managed to bring us to safety, Petty Officer Scott Higgins who saved the day bringing all aboard with a frayed cable (so reminiscent of the end of Kevin Costner' film "The Guardian"), "steel nerves" Lt. j.g. Aaron Nelson who followed the fleeting sea-anchorless life-raft in winds over 70kts, and finally, Lt. Comdr. Nevada Smith who took upon himself to undertake this rescue in perilous operational conditions (for those who may have seen Kevin Costner's "The Guardian", he played the role of co-pilot Krausse). Swimmer Drew Dazzo in the helicopter resting before being evacuated with us to Cherry Point Military hospital for injuries sustained during our rescue, Lt. Comdr. Nevada Smith supervising our transfer while coordinating with operations. It is difficult to find words of appreciation, even so many months later, for the commitment of these heroes as there is no doubt failing them we would not be here to extol their dedication. Neither should we forget the C130 crew who miraculously found us among the seventy foot waves,but also the three ambulance teams, three hospital teams and the commander of Cherry Point Military Hospital who mobilized the disaster relief of the American Red Cross to help us through this crisis. Finally, a moment of silence in remembrance of the crew of s/v Flying Colors that dissapeared eighty miles off our starborard, Captain Trey Topping, Rhiannon Borisoff, Jason Franks and Christine Grinavic, likely pitchpoled by the same rogue wave amplified by their closer proximity to the Gulf Stream.

Robin Storm previous s/v Sean Seamour II posts:
Summary of Action for CG6014 for the S/V SEAN SEAMOUR II- REDUX - Plus
WebExclusive  EPIRBs and the s/v Sean Seamour II - Part III
WebExclusive  EPIRBs and the s/v Sean Seamour II - Part II
EPIRBs and the s/v Sean Seamour II
NHC Report on Subtropical Storm Andrea
 Cheating Death On The High Seas
The s/v Sean Seamour II & The Hatteras Trench
High Sea's Update On Sean Seamour II
The Story of the Sailing Vessel Sean Seamour II
gCaptain previous s/v Sean Seamour II posts:
gCaptain Exclusive - Sailing in Severe Weather Lessons Learned

WEATHER NOTE:

CHICAGO - S N O W!

Thanks Jean!

RS

Cheating Death On The High Seas

When we talk about the fury of mother nature, no matter if its a flood, tornado, hurricane, or a rogue wave, the mechanics of the event are normally a story in itself. But there is always, the other side of the story.

That story is the story of the rescue operations and the compelling story of the survivors.

This photograph was taken of the rescue of the crew of the s/v Sean Seamour II from the USCG J-Hawk Rescue Helicopter. It again gives us another plane of view of the monstrous sea states at the time of rescue. And this may have been the smaller of the waves that caused the sinking of the 44 foot, s/v Sean Seamour II.

At this view its difficult to estimate the size of the wave in this photograph, but monstrous maybe a understatement. There are just no words to express or define this picture. It's just an incredible and frightening picture! Note the height of the wave peak at the top in comparison to the life raft below. The waves heights were estimated by UCSG Command Pilot Lt.CMDR Nevada C. Smith ( named after the famed wild west cowboy in the 1937 movie the "carpetbaggers") piloting the USCG J-Hawk Rescue Helicopter, to be between 50 to 70 feet.

Also take note of the distance between the waves. and how close they are to each other. Just an amazing photo and a amazing tail of survival and rescue. The Hatteras Trench is definitely living up to its violent reputation here. Not just is it amazing that the crew of the s/v Sean Seamour II, who suffered from a severe case of hypothermia and injury, survived to be rescued. But the rescue itself was indeed most difficult and amazing. Hovering a helicopter in winds estimated between 60 to 80 MPH and with waves of 50 to 70 feet, was no small feat for Lt.CMDR Smith his Co-Pilot LTJG Aaron G. Nelson and Flight Mechanic Petty Officer Scott Higgens.

While deciding to launch and monitor a rescue swimmer and survivors in these conditions is entirely another difficult and painful command decision. For any rescue swimmer not just to stabilize himself in these waters, but to stabilize the rescue basket with a survivor in these types of waters, that rescue swimmer needed to be super-human, and in the case of USCG Chief Petty Officer Drew Dazzo, super-human maybe also a understatement. These USCG rescue swimmers are unsung hero's and in this case, the rescue was just not difficult, but it resulted in injury to rescue swimmer, PO Drew Dazzo.

PO Dazzo himself had a very difficult time stabilizing himself in the water, since the steep pitch of these monstrous waves had PO Dazzo, who was tethered to a safety wire from the helicopters hoist, feeling like he was in the, spin cycle of a washer machine. PO Dazzo was hanging either very taught or very slack on his safety wire as he pitched and rolled with these waves. During his initial insertion into the stormy seas and while he was stabilizing, it is believed that one of the waves dropped from under him as he crested the wave and then suddenly dropped some 50 to 70 feet, over the other side causing painful injury to PO Dazzo's back. .

Though injured and hurting, PO Dazzo continued with the rescue operations, saving the rest of the s/v Sean Seamour crew. The final rescue of the last crew member of the s/v Sean Seamour II became very laborious for the injured PO Dazzo and after a failed attempt in using a rescue sling, he once again called for the rescue basket. PO Dazzo then reentered the water to retrieve the GPIRB. Once back on board the J-Hawk Helicopter, PO Dazzo laid on the floor of the helicopter in pain and was hospitalized, along with the crew of the s/v/ Sean Seamour II.

On top of that prior to this harrowing period, the Master of the s/v Sean Seamour II, being tossed around like a rag doll by the waves, had broken his ribs. Anyone who has broken ribs before understands pain. The slightest jarring is very painful. Imagine riding this roller coaster of waves and wind with broken ribs for an extended period of time? The other two crew members were tossed violently around the cabin and one suffered some back trauma, while the brutality of the wave did not just flip them in a 360 about the cabin, but caused the s/v Sean Seamour II to immediately list to the starboard.

But as I am informed, that did not deter the Master from attaching the GPIRB and freeing the raft from his stricken sail boat and struggling to care for his crew, while his crew made sure they took care of him, knowing that he was injured and weaving in and out of semi-consciousness . The Master of the s/v Sean Seamour II, lived up to the honorable code of a Ships Master by tending to the safety of his crew during the emergency. I cannot say enough about his two friends and crew mates. Knowing that their friend and Captain was injured, they made sure that he was first in the rescue basket.

They are truly a "band of brothers" today.

RS

Previous Posts;
The s/v Sean Seamour II & The Hatteras Trench
High Sea's Update On Sean Seamour II
The Story of the Sailing Vessel Sean Seamour II