A Bering Sea tragedy

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the F/V Destination, which apparently sank over the weekend near St. George Island.

The crew of six remains missing.

Coast Guard airlifts crewman off Golden Alaska

The U.S. Coast Guard sent this out about 9:20 a.m. today:

March 16, 2010

Coast Guard medevacs Bering Sea crewman

JUNEAU — A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from a forward operating location in St. Paul on Monday safely transferred a crewmember reportedly suffering abdominal pain aboard a fishing vessel eight nautical miles west of St. George Island.

The Coast Guard 17th District Command Center received notification at 8:43 p.m. from the master of the fishing vessel Golden Alaska requesting that a 60-year-old crewmember be medically evacuated.

The Coast Guard launched a Jayhawk from St. Paul, hoisted the man off the Golden Alaska and safely transported him to St. George where local emergency medical services were waiting.

The man was awaiting further transport to Providence Alaska Medical Center by commercial medical evacuation services.

Mar-Gun saved!

The Bering Sea pollock trawler Mar-Gun is afloat again after 10 weeks aground. U.S. Coast Guard photo

U.S. Coast Guard, 17th District

May 13, 2009

Coast Guard, salvors recover Mar-Gun from St. George beach after 10-week effort

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Coast Guard assisted salvors in successfully recovering the 112-foot fishing vessel Mar-Gun from Staraya Beach on the north end of St. George Island in the Bering Sea Wednesday at 1:04 a.m.

The vessel is currently moored in Zapadni Harbor, St. George Island, undergoing a thorough damage survey. The Redeemer, based out of Dutch Harbor, will tow the Mar-Gun to Dutch Harbor for repairs. The transit is estimated to take about 30 hours.

The team used ground tackle, including three sea anchors weighing 8,000 to 10,000 pounds each, and a winch system to pull the vessel from the beach which took place over several high tide cycles.

Responders removed 19,000 gallons of diesel and 660 gallons of lube oil from the vessel in March. During the effort they faced winter conditions, high winds, rough seas and ice.

"This was a tremendous effort by all involved," said Cmdr. Steven Pearson, chief of response Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. "The remote area and the sensitive nature of the habitat posed challenges to the effort that our diverse team overcame admirably and resulted in the successful recovery of the vessel."

A subsistence sampling program has been developed and will be implemented now that the vessel has been removed. The unified command recommends no subsistence harvests be conducted in the immediate area until sufficient sampling can be completed.

To date neither the 18th century Russian settlement, Staraya Artil, nor the palentological site of the 2,000 year-old marine mammal bones have been impacted. Safeguards were in place to prevent damage to these locations.

The Seattle-based Mar-Gun grounded March 5 some 200 yards off the north end of St. George Island. All five crewmembers were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter and delivered to St. Paul. Response efforts to mitigate the pollution potential began immediately.

Trawler rescue grinds forward

Salvage tug Redeemer prepares to haul the stranded trawler Mar-Gun.

Welding the Mar-Gun's scarred hull. U.S. Coast Guard photos taken last Friday

Salvors are making progress on saving the Bering Sea pollock trawler Mar-Gun, hard aground on St. George Island since March 5.

During early morning high tides Sunday and Monday, the tug Redeemer and a ground tackle system managed to pull the 112-foot trawler 45 feet seaward, according to a report from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

"Upon completion of each day's pulling, the F/V Mar-Gun's hull was reinspected for any damage and repairs were completed as needed," the report says.

To make way for the rescue, salvors used explosives to remove rock pinnacle about 15 feet seaward of the vessel's stern.

What's next?

"Removal operations will continue as tide and weather allow," the DEC report says.

Slow going on trawler rescue

The trawler Mar-Gun as she appeared April 11. USCG photo

An update from state pollution regulators says the soonest a salvage crew might recover the beached Bering Sea trawler Mar-Gun is April 27-28, the next high-tide window.

The 112-foot pollock boat went aground March 5 on St. George Island. All five crewmen got off safely, but extracting the boat from the beach has become a major chore.

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate why the vessel grounded.

Here's part of yesterday's "situation report" from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation:

RESPONSE ACTION: Salvors conducted vessel, helicopter and fabrication operations during the past few days although poor weather prevented work on the vessel most of last week.

On board the vessel, crews continue to knock off accumulated ice as it forms on the vessel. Workers prepped and completed laying a fairlead cross-member foundation to support recovery operations on the aft deck port and starboard sides. Workers were also able to enter the shaft alley through the forward cover plate. The packing gland was tightened down, and Splash Zone (marine epoxy putty) was applied over miscellaneous fittings and holes in the bulkhead between the engine room and the shaft alley. The packing gland is a gasket system through which the propeller shaft passes through the hull. Work also continues on the inspection of the vessel double bottom tanks, and work was performed in preparation for removing the rudder from the vessel.

The salvors continue to use helicopter operations to transfer additional steel and fabricated parts to and from the vessel.

The vessel is ready to receive the blocks for the multi-part tackle system, but heavy winds and freezing spray have delayed the block and tackle installation until the weather improves.

The M/V Redeemer crew has loaded the first of three offshore anchors sets which will be needed for the recovery operations. The M/V Redeemer is currently in Dutch Harbor waiting for a favorable weather window to travel to the Mar-Gun grounding location where the M/V Redeemer will set the first anchor system.

FUTURE PLANS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Continue operations on board the vessel and in temporary fabrication locations to prepare for vessel recovery. Set three large anchor systems in preparation for the vessel removal. The next high-tide window for the potential removal of Mar-Gun from the shore is April 27-28, 2009.