Tag Archives: historic Bering Sea rescue
F/V Alaska Ranger—the historic Bering Sea rescue that defied the odds
On Easter morning in 2008 at approximately 3:00 a.m., the fishing vessel F/V Alaska Ranger’s mayday call raced across radio waves of the Bering Sea bound for the radio room of any Coast Guard rescue center within reach. Forty-seven fishermen aboard the Alaska Ranger were donning survival suits for what would become one of the largest and most dramatic rescue cases in modern Coast Guard history. At the time, the 378-foot high-endurance Coast Guard Cutter Munro was on patrol near the Bering Sea fishing fleet. For days before its mayday call, the fishing vessel had been forcing its way through destructive pack ice. Very early on March 23, without any warning, frigid water began rushing into the ship’s rudder room, flooding adjoining spaces and disabling the ship. The Alaska Ranger lost steering and power and was at the mercy of the unforgiving Bering Sea. photos, >click to read< 13:41
