AgustaWestland2003-10-10 12:15:14
MISSION: RESCUE MARINE VESSEL CAMILLA
DATE: 23 JANUARY 2003
Heads up for a pending mission was passed to 103 Sqn on the morning of 23 Jan 2003. The Captain of the stricken MV Camilla was informed that it was unlikely that a successful evacuation of personnel could be carried out with a storm fast approaching. He had called for a tow company out of Halifax but was unsuccessful due to the severe low pressure coming in fast. The decision to abandon ship was made and Rescue 911, a new Cormorant helicopter, was launched. Weather and the position of the stricken vessel forced Rescue 911 to refuel on the oil platform Henry Goodrich; landing on Hibernia was not an option due to their fuel shortage. The Goodrich is a non-secured platform, making landing on the tossing deck in winds gusting 48 knots quite a challenge. Negative pitch had to be used to keep the aircraft steady during hot refueling. Just prior to take-off, the aircraft had a complete communication failure. Communication failure, winds ever increasing, a low pressure that was deepening quickly (indicated on the altimeters) and evening rapidly approaching had all the makings of a very dangerous and challenging mission facing the crew of Rescue 911 that night. At this point it must be realized by those not familiar with SAR, there was every reason that this crew had to turn back. They had recently converted to the Cormorant, they were operating in increasingly hostile weather conditions and were faced with a failure that in normal circumstances would have rendered the aircraft unserviceable. The thought of a communications failure over the ship with personnel on the hoist was unimaginable and would almost certainly have resulted in serious injury to the crew. The decision to go on was made by the Commander in full agreement with his crew. The failure was rectified after approximately 10 minutes of trouble shooting and Rescue 911 then made their way to the stricken vessel. On scene the Camilla was 90 degrees to the wind, rolling up to 40 degrees port and starboard and pitching 20 to 30 degrees (35G42-we were flying away from the storm - it was coming in behind us). The deck of the vessel had a clean open area in the center to conduct the hoisting. The continuous violent rolling and pitching of the vessel made the positioning of the aircraft to the vessel extremely difficult. The aircraft commander was able to hold a constant position only for seconds at a time. At this point the Aircraft Commander was left with an unenviable choice. He had a hoist that was not cleared to operate in seas of this magnitude and he had to rely on the fine safety judgment of the Flight Engineer and the SAR Technicians (SARTECHS) The FE and SARTECHS all agreed it was worth the risks to save the stricken crew and agreed the operation within their own individual skills of reason and trust.. Added to the environment, was the fact that the aircraft was within the translational lift envelope. This caused strong vibrations throughout the aircraft during the entire hoisting sequence, which lasted approximately 70 minutes. The last few hoists were conducted at the maximum weight and extreme caution had to be used; rotor drooping had already occurred once. By this casual remark the Commander was operating going from minimum power to maximum power with such ferocity over the pitching vessel that his systems were just able to keep up with the fierce movement of the sinking vessel below him. Reading any gauges in the cockpit was practically impossible due to the strong weather conditions tossing the aircraft about. Max torque had to be used while the aircraft was pushed to its limits to perform at peak level as the looming storm caused visibility to decrease and wind gusts to increase. It must be accounted for that the FE was using the unmodified hoist at the time and was being pushed to the limit after 16 hoist sequences. Open to the elements of the raging storm - water, wind and a max temperature of 3 degrees, the FE was definitely faced with a very demanding task. It should also be noted the last few hoists were conducted with minimal light. The SAR Techs were placed onto the pitching deck of the Camilla as smoothly as the FE could manage in the worsening weather conditions. The unpredictability and lurching of the vessel tossed them about unmercifully. In a sea state of about 7, the vessel was constantly being pounded by large waves coming from all directions making the positioning, hooking up and moving of the crew to the hoisting area extremely risky. All 16 crewmembers of the Camilla were safely retrieved from the stricken vessel without any injury inflicted by the crew of Rescue 911. This action alone says a lot. Once all were safely on board, Rescue 911 and its top cover headed to St John's. The weather was deteriorating rapidly; rain, freezing rain, snow and IMC were encountered during the transit flight. The aircraft maintained a level of 300 to 500 ft above the water with its radar and Rotor Ice Protection Unit (RIPU) system on. Without the RIPU system, the mission would have been lengthened even more to avoid the freezing precipitation. Without the capability of the Cormorant helicopter, this mission would have been impossible. The ability to hoist 16 people as well as the crew of 5 was due to the cabin capacity as well as the power of the aircraft. The ability of the Cormorant to operate in icing and high winds adds to the safety of operating in these horrific conditions. Upon arrival at St John's the crew of the Camilla were passed over to customs and aircraft 911 proceeded to Gander..
This rescue is a demonstration of extreme heroism by the entire crew from Gander. This outstanding rescue was performed by individuals working at their maximum capacity in the most challenging and changing conditions known to man. On several occasions they had just cause to cancel this sortie but through their courage, skill and dedication ,16 lives were saved. This is an exemplary tale of heroism and courage by 5 men who are truly outstanding Canadians. Their place is recognized today by the first award of the Cormorant Trophy, which is to be awarded for the most outstanding rescue performed in Canadian waters by civil or military crews. It is believed that this rescue should place these proud Canadians amongst frontrunners for international recognition of their extreme bravery.
The award winning crew of Rescue 911 included:
Aircraft Commander - Maj Gilbert Thibault
First Officer - Capt Andrew Mercer
Flight Engineer - MCpl Rob Vidito
SAR Tech - Sgt Emilio Dechantal
SAR Tech - MCpl Dave Cooper
SAR Tech - Cpl Scott Elliston
DATE: 23 JANUARY 2003
Heads up for a pending mission was passed to 103 Sqn on the morning of 23 Jan 2003. The Captain of the stricken MV Camilla was informed that it was unlikely that a successful evacuation of personnel could be carried out with a storm fast approaching. He had called for a tow company out of Halifax but was unsuccessful due to the severe low pressure coming in fast. The decision to abandon ship was made and Rescue 911, a new Cormorant helicopter, was launched. Weather and the position of the stricken vessel forced Rescue 911 to refuel on the oil platform Henry Goodrich; landing on Hibernia was not an option due to their fuel shortage. The Goodrich is a non-secured platform, making landing on the tossing deck in winds gusting 48 knots quite a challenge. Negative pitch had to be used to keep the aircraft steady during hot refueling. Just prior to take-off, the aircraft had a complete communication failure. Communication failure, winds ever increasing, a low pressure that was deepening quickly (indicated on the altimeters) and evening rapidly approaching had all the makings of a very dangerous and challenging mission facing the crew of Rescue 911 that night. At this point it must be realized by those not familiar with SAR, there was every reason that this crew had to turn back. They had recently converted to the Cormorant, they were operating in increasingly hostile weather conditions and were faced with a failure that in normal circumstances would have rendered the aircraft unserviceable. The thought of a communications failure over the ship with personnel on the hoist was unimaginable and would almost certainly have resulted in serious injury to the crew. The decision to go on was made by the Commander in full agreement with his crew. The failure was rectified after approximately 10 minutes of trouble shooting and Rescue 911 then made their way to the stricken vessel. On scene the Camilla was 90 degrees to the wind, rolling up to 40 degrees port and starboard and pitching 20 to 30 degrees (35G42-we were flying away from the storm - it was coming in behind us). The deck of the vessel had a clean open area in the center to conduct the hoisting. The continuous violent rolling and pitching of the vessel made the positioning of the aircraft to the vessel extremely difficult. The aircraft commander was able to hold a constant position only for seconds at a time. At this point the Aircraft Commander was left with an unenviable choice. He had a hoist that was not cleared to operate in seas of this magnitude and he had to rely on the fine safety judgment of the Flight Engineer and the SAR Technicians (SARTECHS) The FE and SARTECHS all agreed it was worth the risks to save the stricken crew and agreed the operation within their own individual skills of reason and trust.. Added to the environment, was the fact that the aircraft was within the translational lift envelope. This caused strong vibrations throughout the aircraft during the entire hoisting sequence, which lasted approximately 70 minutes. The last few hoists were conducted at the maximum weight and extreme caution had to be used; rotor drooping had already occurred once. By this casual remark the Commander was operating going from minimum power to maximum power with such ferocity over the pitching vessel that his systems were just able to keep up with the fierce movement of the sinking vessel below him. Reading any gauges in the cockpit was practically impossible due to the strong weather conditions tossing the aircraft about. Max torque had to be used while the aircraft was pushed to its limits to perform at peak level as the looming storm caused visibility to decrease and wind gusts to increase. It must be accounted for that the FE was using the unmodified hoist at the time and was being pushed to the limit after 16 hoist sequences. Open to the elements of the raging storm - water, wind and a max temperature of 3 degrees, the FE was definitely faced with a very demanding task. It should also be noted the last few hoists were conducted with minimal light. The SAR Techs were placed onto the pitching deck of the Camilla as smoothly as the FE could manage in the worsening weather conditions. The unpredictability and lurching of the vessel tossed them about unmercifully. In a sea state of about 7, the vessel was constantly being pounded by large waves coming from all directions making the positioning, hooking up and moving of the crew to the hoisting area extremely risky. All 16 crewmembers of the Camilla were safely retrieved from the stricken vessel without any injury inflicted by the crew of Rescue 911. This action alone says a lot. Once all were safely on board, Rescue 911 and its top cover headed to St John's. The weather was deteriorating rapidly; rain, freezing rain, snow and IMC were encountered during the transit flight. The aircraft maintained a level of 300 to 500 ft above the water with its radar and Rotor Ice Protection Unit (RIPU) system on. Without the RIPU system, the mission would have been lengthened even more to avoid the freezing precipitation. Without the capability of the Cormorant helicopter, this mission would have been impossible. The ability to hoist 16 people as well as the crew of 5 was due to the cabin capacity as well as the power of the aircraft. The ability of the Cormorant to operate in icing and high winds adds to the safety of operating in these horrific conditions. Upon arrival at St John's the crew of the Camilla were passed over to customs and aircraft 911 proceeded to Gander..
This rescue is a demonstration of extreme heroism by the entire crew from Gander. This outstanding rescue was performed by individuals working at their maximum capacity in the most challenging and changing conditions known to man. On several occasions they had just cause to cancel this sortie but through their courage, skill and dedication ,16 lives were saved. This is an exemplary tale of heroism and courage by 5 men who are truly outstanding Canadians. Their place is recognized today by the first award of the Cormorant Trophy, which is to be awarded for the most outstanding rescue performed in Canadian waters by civil or military crews. It is believed that this rescue should place these proud Canadians amongst frontrunners for international recognition of their extreme bravery.
The award winning crew of Rescue 911 included:
Aircraft Commander - Maj Gilbert Thibault
First Officer - Capt Andrew Mercer
Flight Engineer - MCpl Rob Vidito
SAR Tech - Sgt Emilio Dechantal
SAR Tech - MCpl Dave Cooper
SAR Tech - Cpl Scott Elliston
For more information contact:
Lysander Rd
Yeovil
Somerset
BA20 2YB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1935 475222 (switchboard)
Fax: +44 1935 702131