Rese R vist Magazine
aR ound the Rese R ve
All-Reserve crew from Station Mayport rescues two
The night of April 3, an all-reserve crew from Station Mayport,
Fla., saved two fishermen from a 73-foot-long sinking shrimp
boat. After losing its anchor in the rough seas, the fishing vessel
Privateer was pushed against the St. John's River entrance
jetty in Mayport. The crew, which had been out doing training,
was on scene in 10 minutes.
"The best thing to do was put our boat along their boat and to
get them to come off," Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Bamberski
told the local news.
"We knew at that point the boat was sinking, and there was
nothing more we can do besides get them off and to safety."
Despite 20-knot winds, the fishermen were unhurt, and were
returned to their families who were waiting on the pier at the
station.
"Adrenaline was definitely pumping, but your training kicks
in," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Thomas Carroll. "We were
trained to that job."
Then-Commanding Officer CWO Nicholas Pavlik said the
evacuation of the two fishermen took "quite a bit of seamanship
and skill at the helm to navigate through a debris field, at night,
under cables and nets in four- to six-foot seas."
At the same time, the reserve machinery technicians worked
alongside the active engineers until 3 a.m. the next morning to
repair the station's 45-foot Response Boat Medium (RB-M) after
the starboard jacket water pump was found to be leaking
coolant.
"It was one heck of night for the Station Mayport Reserve
force," said Pavlik, who has since transferred to the west coast.
"They knocked it out of the park and far exceeded my
expectations, underscoring the significant process we have
made since putting augmentation at the forefront."
For more: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/coast-
guard-rescues-two-from-shrimp-boat-near-mayport/508837581
— Submitted by CWO Nicholas M. Pavlik
8 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2017