MORE SEA TAILS!

You may find this blog to be somewhat lengthy, but I felt it better to give the details in order to better apreciate the facts of the story itself.
In the early Spring of 1967 we were on board the Coast Guard Cutter Mendota, a “Heavy Endurance Cutter”, well named for its high tolerance to the most adverse and dangerous conditions at sea ever possible. The Extreme Weather conditions of the North Atlantic have sent thousands upon thousands of ships to the bottom of Davey Jones Locker, and the souls of more thousands of sailors and crew members to their death in a watery grave. The Mendota was built in the ship yards of Curts Bay, Md. in 1945, mere months from the end of World War Two. She was built for Military purpose as a Guardian of Peace and Freedom in the United States. As I viewed her pictures in drydock and first trial at sea, this 255 foot vessel was armed to the max. It was handsomely camouflaged with light, medium and drak gray to lessen its visibility to the enemy, and crowded from stem to stern with 5″ fifties twin cannons on the mount; bow and stern. Torpedoes were located on its port and starboard sides and hedge hogs in the fore bulkworks for anti submarine warfare. Fifty Caliber machine guns were mounted in many of several positions. The ship was rigged with the, then, state of the art radar, both surface and air. Her communications capabilities, which I was involved with in the sixties, could reach around the world and I often did just that. The ship was designed to be able to take a complete 360 degree roll, in other words, completely go under 180 degrees, and resurface an other 180 degrees. The North Atlantic is famous for harboring some of the largest and unexpected rogue waves ever thought possible, many of which reached well over 100 feet high. A wave of this magnitude could sink the largest and most capable vessels made.
Such a wave did, frightfully, occur in the Spring of 1967, not far from Bermuda. The Bermuda Triangle is a mysterious graveyard of many great ships and even airplanes and countless human lives lost. The Cargo Ship, Michaelangelo fell victim to a 110 foot 34 meter rogue wave in the middle of the night. We on the Mendota heard the frantic s.o.s. call for help, and assisted the ship and its crew with medical and high volume pumps.
However, the rescue we encountered in April of 1968 sticks out in my mind more than any of the others. The Irinis Luck had harbored in Bermuda, taking on and unloading vast cargo supplies. Upon the news of a storm coming its way, the Captain then decided to put out to sea early, trying to outrun the storm’s coordinates. As the great winds changed directions the Irinis Luck found itself amuk in the middle of a raging North Atlantic storm with high winds and tumultuous waves dashing its decks and sometimes completely covering the entire ship with waters. The crewmen worked feverishly and endlessly, securing ships cargo and anything that could possibly loosen itself, thus endangering the ship itself and its crew members. Under the pitch darkess, howling winds and waves, the ship began to take on more water than it was able to dispose of with its mighty bilge pumps. Several of these pumps came to a screaching halt due to rust and lack of maintenance, allowing even more water to cascade through manifold openings and began the irreversable process of flooding the entire ship. Water tight integrity was emplaced in frantic frenzy, but the doors had not been properly maintained for water tightness, and more sea water began to flood the compartments, making them off limits for many tools and supplies so urgently needed. Meanwhile, the seas continued their relentless pounding of the vessel, ripping several plates from the hull allowing even more water to gush into the ship. As the ship began to take on a serious fifteen to twenty degree starboard list the tremendous weight of the cargo was pushing the ship even dangerously further, making its belly exposed and vulnerable to the merciless lambasting of the powerful waves. The Captain, seeing that his crew had done their very best, and were in complete panic, determined that the ship was now unsalvageable to stay afloat and ordered the “abandon ship” announcement in the dark frightening hours of the early morning. Scared out of their living whits, the crew members hurriedly gathered what belongings they could muster and met on the starboard (right)life boat side of the ship. The port (or left) side life boats were rendered useless by the fact of the widening list to starboard, and could not possibly be launched into the water. The starboard life boats were nearly unaccessable, and dangerous to embark as the ship lurched violently from the tossing sea. Through desparate and heroic efforts the 24 precious seamen managed to board the life boat vessels and land safely in the rising and falling waters; a miracle in itself! The Captain and other 23 members of his crew moved to safety in the waters on the other side of the ship, partially shielding them from the high winds. Although their distress call for help had gone out hours previous to their abandoning ship there was no ship in sight as the men huddled together in the darkness of the night, alone and in fear of their very lives. I was later told by one of the sailors, who spoke only Italian, that you could have heard a pin drop in his lifeboat. He heard for himself, men whom he would never have imagined, praying and weeping softly and sharing their thoughts with their Maker.
An English trauling vessel was the first to respond. The Coast Guard Station in Washington, D.C. keeps track of all known vessels at sea, and organized Search and Rescue operations, calculating that vessels position, course and speed and ability to respond to the crew of the irinis Luck. It made its way through the high seas and winds at daybreak, and took all 24 members of the crew aboard, to safety, and warm blankets, coffee and a willing crew of British sailors. They provided medical attention needed and consoled the men of the Irinis Luck.
I will write a sequel to this true story soon, I promise. I hope that you have enjoyed this true adventure as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.
Paul