Anchorage, Alaska — Nine crew members were lifted into a helicopter from a commercial lobster boat amid strong winds, strong drafts from a nearby cliff and rough seas after the fishing vessel anchored on an Alaska island in the Bering Sea.
The Coast Guard said there were no casualties among the crew of the Arctic Sea, a 134-foot (41-meter) boat owned by the Coastal Village Trust that fishes for lobster.
The ship docked Monday on the northern shore of St. George Island, the southernmost of the small Pribilof island group inhabited by fewer than 100 people, most of them Aleuts. The group of islands is located about 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) west of Anchorage.
“I’m in the fog, I’m on shore, we’ve lost direction,” one person from the Arctic Sea tells the Coast Guard when called in on a mayday, according to audio provided by the Coast Guard. “We take water.”
The ship stopped near a cliff hundreds of feet above the water, Lieutenant Commander. Connor Regan and Lt. Cmd. Josh Womboldt, the rescue helicopter pilot, said in a joint statement to The Associated Press.
The pilots placed the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter about 50 feet (15 m) above the Arctic Sea and flew into rough conditions to conduct the rescue.
“Given how strong the winds were, we took care to account for downdrafts coming off the cliffs and strong turbulence when lifting crew members from the Arctic Sea,” Regan said in an email to the AP.
“The air crew also lifted all nine crew members and the rescue swimmer in approximately 25 minutes, which is a testament to the skill and professionalism of the cabin crew,” Regan said.
Winds of 60 mph (96 kph) and 10-foot (3-meter) seas caused water in the Arctic Sea to become trapped and eventually run aground at about 4 a.m. Monday. A video clip taken by a resident from the top of the cliff showed the waves hitting the ship parked on the ground.
Another fishing vessel owned by Coastal Villages, the North Sea, was nearby but was unable to assist the Arctic Sea due to the weather and shallow waters where it grounded.
However, the North Sea remained close and kept a line of communications open to the Coast Guard, which deployed a helicopter and plane and changed the course of its ship, the Alex Haley.
The Arctic Sea ship’s crew donned survival suits at about 8 a.m. and activated an emergency radio beacon to indicate their location, Eric Deakin, CEO of the Coastal Villages Area Fund, said in an email to the AP.
The ship’s fire suppression system was activated, forcing crew members out of the closed bridge and onto the deck, where they awaited rescue.
The helicopter arrived around 11:30 a.m. on Monday and conducted the rescue. The rescued crew members were delivered to St. Paul Island, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) to the northwest, because St. George lacked emergency medical services support and there was no way for the helicopter to refuel there.
The Coast Guard said a private company has been hired to oversee rescue operations in the Arctic Sea.