Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Wendy Arauz | SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 6, 2022) - Military Sealift Command civil service mariner Carlos...... read more read more
“So Others May Live”-- that is the motto of Navy search and rescue (SAR) swimmers. From downed aviators to distressed mariners to a Sailor washed overboard, SAR swimmers go through intense training with one sole goal: to save those in need.
The Emory S. Land-class submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) recently showcased its search and rescue capabilities when it conducted a man overboard drill in the South China Sea, July 6, 2022.
Frank Cable, one of only two submarine tenders in the U.S. Navy, is a hybrid crew consisting of U.S. Navy Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. Frank Cable’s search and rescue swimmers are MSC civil service mariners Vincent O’Haire, Frank Cable’s navigation officer, from Rhinebeck, New York, and Eric Nanpei and Carlos Laguana, both from Guam.
When the man overboard drill was announced over the ship’s 1MC internal communication system, the crew sprang into action. While most were reporting to supervisors to be accounted for, Frank Cable’s deck department was topside, preparing to deploy the rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) and rescue swimmers.
As the RHIB touched down in the water, the first search and rescue swimmer, Nanpei, was lowered into the water from the J-Bar davit on the fo’c’sle. After Nanpei was safely in the RHIB, Laguana was lowered and then O’Haire.
The RHIB distanced itself from the Frank Cable and the swimmers reentered the water to begin conducting training scenarios that included approaches, carries, escapes, releases, disentanglements and rescue device procedures.
The swimmers were also presented with a simulated multi-survivor rescue scenario, which included both an unconscious and a combative survivor.
“The short answer might be a cliché but ‘So Others May Live’,” O’Haire said, when asked why he volunteered to become a SAR swimmer. “When I was given the opportunity to save others while working for MSC I had to answer the call.”
O’Haire has been an active member of the Rhinecliff Volunteer Fire Company since 2015 before joining Frank Cable in its homeport of Guam. He relies on that experience, knowing that he can keep his composure and operate in a high-stress environment, when lives are on the line.
“I have always been the type to offer whatever help I can,” O’Haire said. “Being a SAR swimmer affords me the opportunity to do that.”
“With the SAR motto in mind, it is an honor to stand with the men and women who sacrifice and dedicate their lives for our country so we can be safe,” added Nanpei, who works in Frank Cable’s deck department. “It means a great deal to me that I'm given the opportunity to work as a team, helping my fellow shipmates to be safe should the moment arise.”
This was the second man overboard drill including the launch of a RHIB and rescue swimmers outside of Guam in 2022.
“It keeps us ready, prepared, and focused when the time comes to deploy for a real casualty,” said Laguana, a member of Frank Cable’s deck department and assistant fire marshal. “The drill helps us improve operational readiness, exercises our abilities to deploy effectively, and maintains our proficiency at all times while underway.”
The Navy’s Surface Rescue Swimmer School, located at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, is not for the faint of heart and is some of the most arduous training offered by the Navy, but the training is worth the effort when used to save someone’s life.
Any Sailor or MSC civil service mariner that has an interest in the SAR program is encouraged to reach out to their command. Frank Cable’s SAR swimmers said it's an incredible opportunity that will test you physically and mentally and to ask any SAR swimmer, and they will gladly help others prepare for the course; helping others is what SAR swimmers do.
“Being a member of the Navy’s SAR community is one of my proudest accomplishments,” said O’Haire. “The Sailors that have come before me have an illustrious history of courage and heroism. I only wish to honor that heritage. This character was displayed in each and every one of my instructors and classmates at SAR school. It is a school and collateral duty truly dedicated to putting others above yourself. During this process, I have had some of the most memorable experiences of my life.”
To learn more about the search and rescue swimmer school as well as the incentives for being a SAR swimmer with the Navy or Military Sealift Command, please visit https://sealiftcommand.com/surface-rescue-swimmer and www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/srss-jax
Frank Cable is currently on patrol conducting expeditionary maintenance and logistics in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
For more information about Frank Cable visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/FrankCableAS40.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.14.2022 22:05 |
| Story ID: | 425028 |
| Location: | SOUTH CHINA SEA |
| Web Views: | 547 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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