The Sikorsky HH-60J was prepped and ready to take on the challenging rescue. Visibility was horrendous but the winds were now gusts of 20
Within half an hour of visionless flight the bird had reached the coords and there she was.
The C-130 monitored everything from above, while the helicopter members decided what to do. The water was too cold to rescue the vessel's crew and they were probably suffering from the beginning of hypothermia. It was "colder than a witch's t**" as my mother used to say. The only choice was to land on the containers. They should hold if they hovered ontop of them, but the masts would prove a problem giving absolutely no room for error.
A mere three to five feet was all the leeway they had, but it should be enough. The pilot had more experience than some of the new USCG recruits had years. Not even a twinkle in their parents eyes.
Once all the crew were aboard the Sikorsky, carefully the pilot began to give the bird some flight, blades dangerously close to the vessel's masts
Not to worry. They made it back safely, while the C-130 stayed above notifying the base of the ship's progress. A couple able tugboats were on their way to tow the container ship to port and safety just as long as she didnt take on too much water.
Just another day at the office for the United States Coast Guard
Hope you enjoyed
All shots on this thread are freeware, but I decided not to post them in the freeware section as "The Search" was payware.
Comments always welcomed
---Stephen
