Two Lives Saved

Article and photos submitted by Jay Croy, District Captain, D9-WR, E. Grand Forks, MN

Boat checks on 23 ft UTL the evening before the rescue.

On Saturday, June 28th, members of Flotilla 85 were spending the weekend at AUXSARDET (Auxiliary SAR Detachment) Warroad to begin training for the 25 foot Defender Class boat we had been assigned by the Coast Guard. The winds were too high for on-the-water training so we held classroom sessions in the Auxiliary Station.

Early in the afternoon we heard “Mayday! Coast Guard! Mayday!” coming from the radio room. Several of us ran to the radio room to intercept the message. Auxiliarist Bill Maat responded to the call. As information was collected, we found that a 26 foot houseboat was taking on water and sinking. Two men were on board; they were wearing lifejackets and reported their position as one mile northwest of the Warroad River entrance. Then the radio went to static. This was the real thing!

A Coast Guard 23 foot Safe Boat was ready to go at the dock. Auxiliarists Jerry Raguse, Howard Gladwin, and I quickly dressed into anti-exposure suits and headed to the boat. BM1 Arian Linnscott, USCG, our training officer, telephoned CG Station Duluth and reported the situation. Other Auxiliarists moved a mobile radio facility to the river entrance to serve as a forward observation post.

Six minutes later the 23 foot patrol boat was entering Lake of the Woods to begin the search. The first view of the lake was sobering to the boat crew. It was a sea of white water as we had 25 knot winds blowing over a 24 mile fetch directly to our shore.

We transited a ½ mile channel through 4 foot seas and as we approached the last reported position of the distressed vessel, seas were building to six feet and higher. We were facing short and steep in the normally shallow water of Lake of the Woods.

We stayed on station for a few minutes and radioed information to CG Station Warroad. We found no debris or sign of any activity within sight with no chance to maneuver enough for a search pattern. The waves were breaking over the gunwales of our boat, soaking us, and beginning to affect our marine radio and electronics.

We advised that air support was needed and we were ineffective in the heavy seas. It was a very difficult decision to turn and head for home knowing there were two people in that hostile water waiting for rescue. As we reached the safety of the river, we met the Border Patrol 27 foot Safe Boat piloted by BM1 Linnscott heading out to search.

Over the next two hours, several agencies were actively involved in the search process. Auxiliary teams with radios searched from several access points along the shoreline. Auxiliarists Ryan Kapperud and Al Stasny, stationed themselves on the observation deck at the river entrance. After an hour, they began seeing debris and relaying information to redirect the Border Patrol boat to the area.

The closest available air asset was the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 80 air miles northwest. They sent up a C-130 aircraft to assist in the search. The crew in the aircraft was enroute when the word went out that one of the victims had been picked up and the second was spotted hanging on to a piece of debris from the boat.

Warroad EMS was waiting at the public landing when the two victims arrived. They were suffering from hypothermia but grateful to be alive. They were greeted by members of the seven different agencies that were involved in the search.

We later confirmed that the day before, Flotilla 85 Auxiliarists Howard Gladwin and Ryan Kapperud had inspected the 26 foot houseboat and advised them of several items that needed repair before it would pass a vessel safety check. As part of the inspection, the Auxiliarists passed on the information that we have an Auxiliary radio station and that the operators monitor channel 16. “If you need any assistance, just call us,” the Auxiliarists advised. The two men had also taken a boating safety course in Kansas and were somewhat familiar with safety procedures.

If you look at this case, you see the importance of each of the Auxiliary mission areas and the training we receive in the Auxiliary. Someone in the Auxiliary taught a boating class that these two men attended. They asked for and received a vessel safety check the day before their fateful event. They were advised of an Auxiliary radio station that was within range. As the situation ramped up, Auxiliarists worked wherever they could to help solve the puzzle and find the missing boaters.

Each task was an essential part of a process that saved these two lives. Remove one Auxiliarist’s mission in this string of events and the outcome may have been very different. We may never know how many lives we save by teaching a class, inspecting a vessel, or standing a radio watch.

Each job is important to the outcome and essential to the total process. I am surrounded by dedicated Auxiliarists that contribute daily to the organization with honor, respect, and devotion to duty. I am so proud to be part of Team Coast Guard.

~GJA