VP-1 crew members help rescue Taiwanese fishermen

Courtesy Photo | A fire burns aboard the Taiwanese fishing vessel Shin Maan Chun in the Pacific Ocean. The fire forced the crew of nine to abandon ship and through a coordinated effort between the U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam, all of the fishermen were safely rescued and brought aboard the Marshallese-flagged bulk carrier Semirio.  

PACIFIC OCEAN, USPACOM, AT SEA

04.23.2012

Story by Seaman Darrius Wharton 

Naval Air Facility Misawa

PACIFIC OCEAN - Crew members on board a P-3 Orion belonging to Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 helped rescue nine Taiwanese fisherman, April 21.

Members of VP-1 Combat Aircrew 12 were conducting a training mission when they received word that the Taiwanese fishing vessel, Shin Maan Chun, had caught fire and its crew members were in peril.

According to U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs, at approximately 4:30 p.m., local time, Coast Guard Sector Guam received an initial alert from an emergency position indicating radio beacon on board the 70-foot Taiwanese fishing vessel. The Coast Guard requested search-and-rescue assistance from the VP-1 asset.

"We quickly agreed to take on the search-and-rescue mission and changed course," said Naval Air Crewman (Operational Level) 3rd Class Jason Krawchuk, attached to VP-1. "We were told to look for a burning ship."

While the ship was hundreds of miles away from where the P-3 initially received the request, it didn't take long for its crew to locate the distressed vessel once it arrived on scene.

"They were quickly able to locate the fishing vessel because of the large plumes of smoke and flames," said Cmdr. Gregg Sleppy, VP-1 commanding officer.

Once they located the fishing vessel, the P-3 crew members immediately proceeded to assist the distressed fishermen.

"They popped a flare once they heard us, so we started getting the life rafts ready," said Krawchuk. "We popped the first raft and it failed to inflate, so we circled around and sent another raft closer to them and that one inflated."

Through the chaotic scene, VP-1 crew members could see fishermen both in the water and on the ship. With flames lapping toward the sky and clouds of thick, black smoke emanating from the damaged vessel, the sailors knew the situation was dire.

"There were two men still on board the ship and a life raft had already been deployed, but it had drifted quite a ways away from the where the boat lay dead in the water," said Sleppy. "The crew were trying to coax the other two to jump off of the boat, so they dropped the second life raft in the direct vicinity of the ship.

"Our crew members also vectored in a rescue ship to come in and recover the ship's crew. Once it arrived on station, things wrapped up pretty quickly," said Sleppy.

According to U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs, the 980-foot, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Semirio was within proximity of the distressed vessel and arrived on scene. It launched a small boat and successfully rescued the entire crew.

Meanwhile, the aircraft remained on station until all Shin Maan Chun crew members were safely aboard Semirio and accounted for.

"We just kept circling around the area until the ship arrived to pick them up," said Krawchuk.

Sleppy said he's proud of his crew's actions and their quick response to the mariners in need.

"I think overall a search-and-rescue mission is one of the most rewarding missions that we can ever be tasked with," he said. "They were able to be a crucial part in the rescue of the ship's entire crew. This is wonderfully rewarding for our crew members, which I'm sure they will remember for the rest of their lives."

For more news from Naval Air Facility Misawa, visit https://www.cnic.navy.mil/misawa/index.htm or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nafmisawa.

• Date Taken: 04.23.2012
• Date Posted: 04.24.2012 02:54
• Story ID: 87217
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN, USPACOM, AT SEA