Receiving the Award of Operational Merit: David Pope, Brian McArdle, Albert DeJean, District Commodore presenting, Amy Thomas and Coxswain Jim Thomas

Kilmarnock, VA - It was a hot humid summer night. A vessel facility from Flotilla 33 was bringing in a boat that had been taking on water. Auxiliary crew members were using a hand-held pump trying to keep the boat float. In an hour long struggle, the crew was able to keep the rising water to slow pace, enough to get the boat to a dock where four electrical pumps took over.

It was a boat that we thought was in trouble. The boat’s Captain said he was having mechanical difficulties, so we told him we would follow him in to port. He went about 200 yards and the motor stopped.

After getting permission from Coast Guard, we took him in side tow. Once we did that, he checked his motor and found a leak in the stuffing box and water was coming in pretty quickly. We just managed to keep pumping enough water out to keep it afloat.

If we were not around, the boat would have sunk, we would have had a person in the water, at night. “In another ten minutes, I think we would have lost the boat,” commented Jim Thomas, Coxswain. “Our Auxiliary Team did a great job in saving the boat, eliminating a hazard to navigation and environmental damage. More importantly, we were able to avoid a search and rescue operation at night in the Rappahannock for a person in the water.”

For their efforts the coxswain and crew received the United States Coast Guard Award of Operation Merit issued by Captain M.S. Ogle, Commander Sector Hampton Roads.

“The boater was lucky that we had one of our teams on patrol in the area,” commented Wally Dawson, Flotilla Commander. “All of our Coxswains and Crew volunteer many hours to training for situations like this and are ready to react to a call from the Coast Guard whether we are already out on patrol or at home.”

~HRW