Faces of Escanaba: Escanaba search and rescue crew

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyxan Williams | BOSTON, Mass. -- (Aug. 25, 2021) Crew members assigned to the USCGC Escanaba (WMEC 907) take a moment for a photo in their over the horizon boat after assisting the crew of a fishing vessel off the coast of Boston. The USCGC Escanaba is a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter with a crew of around 100 conducting many of the service's missions, emphasizing law enforcement. (U. S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyxan Williams.)  

NEW BEDFORD, ME, UNITED STATES

09.03.2021

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyxan Williams 

U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

As the crew of the USCGC Escanaba (WMEC 907) returned from Operation Nanook, they responded to a report from the 91-foot fishing vessel Donny C crew stating they were taking on water approximately 110 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket on Sept. 2.

Ultimately, the Escanaba crew assisted the fishers in controlling the flooding before safely escorting them to homeport in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

However, in the initial communications, the Donny C crew said the fishing vessel's two dewatering pumps were not keeping up with the flooding. They were preparing to abandon the ship in 10 to 15-foot waves. Escanaba arrived on the scene and launched their small boat with crew and equipment to assist. The team consisted of Chief Petty Officer Mike Emmons as the coxswain, Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Dawson as the engineer, Ensign Darden Purrington, Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Frattaroli, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Hunter Hendricks.

Once they arrived at the Donny C, they passed over a P6 pump to assist the vessel's crew with dewatering. They were now running four pumps: two of their own, one from good Samaritans aboard the nearby fishing vessel Temptress, and a fourth from the Escanaba. With the fourth pump running, the fishers found the source of the water intrusion and sealed it. The Escanaba response crew then made sure the vessel and fishers were safe before returning to the cutter. The Escanaba then escorted the Donny C and crew safely to New Bedford.

"The Escanaba responded appropriately with search and rescue experience," said Chief Petty Officer Kevin Hampton, the operations chief aboard Escanaba. "We were able to maintain communication with the vessel crew the entire time and assist with dewatering the vessel before escorting them back to their homeport."

But what is it really like to be part of a crew such as this? We invite you to meet some of the Escanaba team and hear it from them!

BMC Mike Emmons:

My name is Mike Emmons. I'm a boatswains mate, and I'm from Dallas. In this case, I served as coxswain, navigating the boat to the casualty and ensuring the crew arrived safely. First of all, I live my life a quarter nautical mile at a time. In my well-over 20 patrols, this one by far was the coldest and most interesting. The icebergs were amazing, and working with international organizations has been fulfilling.

MK3 Ryan Dawson:

I'm Ryan Dawson from Newberry, Florida. I'm a machinery technician. I joined for the adventures, the chance to meet new people and save lives. During the search and rescue, I was the boat crew engineer. My job was to make sure the boat ran correctly and repair anything that went wrong with it. Above all, my job was to make sure the boat crew came back safely.

The search and rescue was unexpected, but we all got up and ready as soon as we got the call. It didn't matter what the seas were like when we heard the call. It was amazing to see the crew on the Escanaba come together to get the vessel saved, and I am thankful that everything went well. This patrol has been a fantastic experience, going to the Arctic and Greenland, where people don't tend to see. I also got to work with other countries and other Coast Guard cutters crews like the Richard Snyder.

Ensign Darden Purrington:

I'm Darden Purrington, and I'm from Virginia Beach, Virginia. When we launched the over-the-horizon boat, the last thing we'd heard about the Donny C was the crew had immersion suits and were preparing to abandon ship. By the time we got over to them in the small boat, they'd acquired a pump from another nearby fishing vessel and were in slightly better shape. We tied off the P6 pump to a line, tossed the line to them, and had them pull the pump aboard, then followed along behind them at several boat lengths to make sure they could get the pump working. It was rewarding to be part of the SAR effort and even more amazing to see another fishing vessel and crew members of Escanaba handle such a situation. We truly have some very talented and dedicated people aboard; I'm fortunate to get to work alongside them.

DC2 Ryan Frattaroli

I'm Ryan Frattaroli from New Canaan, Connecticut. I joined the Coast Guard because I initially wanted to be a rescue swimmer. That didn't work out for me, but it was a blessing in disguise because I found my true calling as a damage controlman. I was nervous for the people in the fishing vessel. I was eager to help them but worried about them being on a sinking ship. In my mind, I put myself in their position and how scary it could be. It put me in a mindset to help them and get out there as fast as we could. I can't wait to see new places and get work done when I'm out at sea. I genuinely think that underway is an excellent time to get as much work done as possible.

BM3 Hunter Hendricks

Hello. I'm Hunter Hendricks from Newberry, Florida. I'm part of the deck department on Escanaba. I joined for the experience and job opportunities. I'm putting in my packet for my coxswain qualification so that I can make BM2. I think I'll be making a career out of the Coast Guard since I can take so many avenues.

This trip was my first patrol on a cutter; I was assigned to a shore command when I got out of boot camp. As my first cutter, it is an entirely new experience for me. Initially nervous, this was also my first search and rescue case, but we were ready. I'm confident in the crew we chose. BMC Emmons has done plenty of search and rescue before. MK3 Dawson taught me a lot. DC2 'Frat' who can handle anything damage control. I grew up on boats myself and was ready. My job on the boat was assisting the coxswain, ensuring safety and task completion.

USCGC Escanaba is a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter now homeported to Portsmouth.

• Date Taken: 09.03.2021
• Date Posted: 09.14.2021 15:56
• Story ID: 405242
• Location: NEW BEDFORD, ME, US
• Hometown: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US