4 minute read
Coasties put training to work in sinking vessel rescue
from US Coast Guard 2020
by Cooke NC
4
U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, The Daily Advance , Frida y, July 31, 2020
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Coasties put training to work in sinking vessel rescue
BY PAUL NIELSEN Staff Writer
Aviation Maintenance Technician Martin Andrada (left) poses with (l-r) Lt. Karisa Kealy, Mimi Reiheld and Robert Reiheld following the U.S. Coast Guard’s rescue of the Reihelds and their cat, Spook, from their sinking houseboat, The Lotus Eater, on the Scuppernong River, June 13.
Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Aviation Maintenance Technician Martin Andrada joined the Coast Guard over five years ago to help people in dire circumstances. Andrada did the same thing as a firefighter for seven years before joining the Coast Guard in 2015. However, it wasn’t until June that Andrada, who was first assigned to Coast Guard Base Elizabeth in 2018, took part in his first search-and-rescue mission. Andrada was part of a four-person crew, which included a pilot, co-pilot and rescue swimmer, aboard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that was dispatched to the sinking houseboat on the Scuppernong River in Albemarle Sound on June 13. It will be a day the 32-year-old will never forget — in part, Andrada says, because the “celebrity” in the rescue of Robert and Mimi Reiheld from their sinking houseboat turned out to be their cat Spook. Andrada finished his flight mechanic qualifications, which is a requirement to take part in search-andrescues, or SARs, just a few weeks before the June 13th mission. The Coast Guard was alerted to the Reihelds’ situation after being notified by law enforcement authorities that a houseboat was taking on water. When Andrada, the flight mechanic on the mission, and his fellow crew members arrived at the Reihelds’ position, they found the 50-foot houseboat, The Lotus Eater, nearly submerged. Robert Reiheld was on the railing of the sinking boat while his wife Mimi was looking out a window when the Coast Guard arrived. Somewhere out of sight was Spook. On the flight to the scene, Andrada and the other crew members discussed possible rescue scenarios based on initial reports, including what to do with a cat in a noisy helicopter. “We train for a variety of situations, using different techniques and equipment,” Andrada said. “The great part of being part of a flight crew like that is everyone has an equal say what is going on in the helicopter and what we are going to do.” Those discussions continued as the helicopter took several “laps” around the houseboat as the crew assessed the scene while formulating a plan of action, Andrada said. Those discussion included what to do about Spook. “On the way out there, we were briefed by radio that there was a cat onboard and that was a topic of discussion,” Andrada said. “We discussed how we would get the cat onboard and how to keep the cat from being a hazard onboard. You don’t want a frightened feline hopping around the cockpit.” Andrada said the houseboat was “obviously in distress’’ when the helicopter arrived. Manning the helicopter’s hoist, he lowered Rescue Swimmer Mario Estevane into the water near the boat. “He assessed if they had any physical injuries and determined if they were going to be able to depart the vessel and get into the rescue basket to be brought aboard,’’ Andrada said. One by one, the Reihelds were safely hoisted aboard the helicopter. “There was a lot of relief,” Andrada said when both the Reihelds were safely aboard the chopper. “They were very thankful to us for coming out and helping them in their time of need.” Despite Estevane’s best efforts, however, Spook was nowhere to be found. The helicopter crew made the decision to retrieve Estevane from the water. But while the air rescue was unfolding, a Coast Guard Rescue Boat from Small Boat Station Elizabeth City arrived on the scene. Its crew was able to safely locate Spook. “The cat turned out to be the celebrity,” Andrada said. “People kind of laugh when I tell them my first rescue mission was two people, and a cat.” The rescue was also the first for Lt. Karisa Kealy, one of the pilots on the helicopter. “We’re fortunate that we train for these types of scenarios all of the time,” Kealy said the day of the rescue, according to a Coast Guard press release. “Even though it may be different when you are responding to an actual emergency, you have a solid foundation from your training to always fall back on. That’s what makes the Coast Guard so good at what we do.”
U.S. COAST GUARD EDITION, The Daily Advance
, Frida y, July 31, 2020
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