HH65A Helicopter

Skills honed over three decades as an Auxiliary radio facility operator and thousands of search and rescue (SAR) scenarios made the vital difference in the lives of two boaters on a recent weekend. The experienced and trained “ears” of another Auxiliarist would hear the call to their aid that would initiate their rescue.

The couple had taken “South Boat”, a 25’ vessel out from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Saturday, 26 March. At mid-morning the next day the vessel was 53 miles out from its port and mechanically disabled.

Auxiliarist Chris Abernethy, a retired New York City Firefighter and Station Communications Supervisor for the Lake Worth Inlet (Fla.) Coast Guard Station, was simultaneously monitoring seven marine band frequencies, when his trained ears detected voice inflections in a weak transmission that told him that someone was in trouble. Experienced radiomen, Abernethy commented, “hear things other people do not hear”.

The caller, a Good Samaritan, was using a handheld radio relaying the distress call of “South Boat.”

Auxiliarist Abernethy

Sector Miami Group Duty Officer BM1 Castrillo was monitoring radio traffic, and quickly phoned Auxiliarist Abernethy to suggest he bring the assets of Auxiliary radio facility “Jupiter One” into the search and rescue operation.

“Jupiter One” is the Auxiliary radio facility of Auxiliarist Ray Agee, Flotilla 52, who lives in and operates his radio facility out of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. For three decades, Agee has been instrumental in the success of many SARs.

With his personally owned radio direction finding equipment (RDF) and uncanny talent, Agee can determine more than just a line-of-position. “Factoring vessel set, drift and signal strength over a series of transmissions, Agee can come up with an approximate but pretty accurate position,” Abernethy said.

Within 30 minutes Agee began a two to three hour conversation directly with the distressed boat. Using his RDF equipment, Agee determined the direction of the distressed vessel from his facility, did the math, and directed the dispatched Sector Miami Helicopter in the direction of the distressed boat.

He maintained radio communications with the distressed vessel and the dispatched helicopter until the chopper was on the scene.

Auxiliarist Agee manning Jupiter

A little after noon the HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, commanded by LT Jared King, arrived on scene and lowered a radio, batteries and a datum marker buoy to “South Boat.”

Determining that the boat’s crew was in no immediate distress, LT King and his crew (Co-Pilot LT Tom Hickey, Flight Mechanic AMT2 Matt Perez and Rescue Swimmer AST2 Eric Pointer) departed the scene for fuel. They were aware that the CG Cutter “Cormorant” (WPB 87313) was en route from Fort Pierce.

As “Cormorant” made the nine-hour trip towards the stricken vessel, Air Station Miami launched an HU-25 Falcon Jet Surveillance Aircraft piloted by LT Mauricio Posada to pinpoint the location of the distressed vessel.

The HU-25 crew, using direction finding equipment, honed in on the vessel’s Emergency Locator Transponder. They found “South Boat” much further north than its previous position, and vectored in “Cormorant” for the assist.

At approximately midnight, “Cormorant” arrived on scene, and began the three-hour tow of “South Boat” to Old Bahama Bay Pier. The boaters were unhurt in the incident.

Auxiliarist Abernethy was quick to point out the difference Agee makes when he is called upon in a search and rescue mission. “Ray does a tremendous job,” Abernethy noted. “He takes a lot of the search out of search and rescue.”

Cormorant

“This was a great example of how the Auxiliary is helping us in areas other than direct flight operations,” commented Air Station Miami LCDR James Noe.