Vessel Sinks Seattle

Coast Guard bringing new response boat up to speed

Coast Guard Station Juneau’s newest asset for fast, efficient response is making an impression on those who get to be part of its crew. The 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) arrived on July 20 and Station Juneau ‘Coasties’ are slowly being brought up to speed on all it can do.

“It is really responsive,” CGSJ executive petty officer BM-1 Philip Ketcheson said as he piloted the boat into Gastineau Channel on Friday. “Just barely moving the nozzle and the boat really minds what you want to do.”

The RB-M is replacing the aging fleet of 41-foot utility and 47-foot motor life boats with improvements in performance, crew efficiency and operational availability.

“It is the easiest boat I have ever driven,” CG Station Juneau operations Petty Officer First Class Joseph Baxter said from the adjacent pilot’s chair.

Ideally situated for a crew of four, the pilothouse has two shock-mitigating seating stations fore and aft, providing for greater comfort and endurance. The two pilot stations have computer screens that feature real-time navigational charts and chart plotters with automated vessel tracking systems, forward looking infrared radar and the ability to monitor deck movements.

The user-friendly electronic steering can be switched to either forward pilot station on the fly without slowing down. The Duel toggle sticks also act as a form of trim tab, keeping the vessel up on step and turning at slight increments instead of abrupt changes of direction.

The two aft stations feature an engineer’s computer monitor with charts and close-circuit television system for engine room view and a fourth passenger chart table.

“Basically I can keep an eye on all the displays and conditions within the engine room,” Station Juneau 45-foot RB-M engineer MK2 Patrick O’Connor said. “It is pretty advanced and high tech with a lot of gizmos on it. It’s a big toy.

Maritime Injury Law Blog: Fishing Vessel Sinks in Sitka Sound

Sitka Mountain Rescue with the assistance of the Coast Guard rescued a man from his sinking fishing vessel in Sitka Sound last week. The 74-year-old master stated that his boat was taking on lots of water just off Kulichkof Rock. Sitka Mountain Rescue personnel arrived at the scene and managed to recover the man moments before his 44-foot Wrangell-based trawler sank.

Once rescued and aboard another boat, the master was treated for cold weather exposure and taken to the Sitka Community Hospital; he fortunately appears to be in good health.

It is unknown at this time how much diesel fuel was on board the vessel when it submerged; the maximum tank capacity is 1,400 gallons. Personnel from the Marine Safety Detachment Sitka were on site to look for and contain any visible pollution.

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