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 Previous: Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 Introduced in Senate |  Next: In Brief |
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 21, 2001--Amateur Radio operators have again assisted in a high seas rescue operation following a pirate attack March 20 on a private sailing vessel off the coast of Venezuela. The as-yet-unidentified skipper of the sailboat reportedly was shot, and his wife summoned help via the Maritime Mobile Service Net. At last word, the captain of the vessel was in stable condition and recovering in a Trinidad hospital.
The incident in the Caribbean Sea occurred some 3200 km to the east-southeast of a similar pirate attack nearly one year ago. In that incident, March 28, 2000, armed marauders shot young Willem van Tuijl from the Netherlands, who was sailing with his parents at the time.
According to Coast Guard Lt Jose Diaz, KP3J, of the Rescue Coordination Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 44-foot ketch Lorna, of Swedish registry, was sailing on the coast of Venezuela enroute to Trinidad and Tobago when it was attacked by pirates some three nautical miles offshore. "The pirates assaulted the Swedish couple and shot the master in the abdomen area once," Diaz said. The man's wife activated an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) but was unable to call MAYDAY on the VHF marine radio because the pirates had destroyed the set.
Diaz said the San Juan Rescue Coordination Center began receiving ELT "hits" from the Lorna, but because they showed the vessel to be inside Venezuelan territorial waters, his office could not take control. Venezuelan authorities were notified.
About 90 minutes later, Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, of the Maritime Mobile Service Net, notified the Rescue Coordination Center in Miami of a distress call from the Lorna on 14.300 MHz. "RCC Miami forwarded the information to us, RCC San Juan," Diaz said. His office tuned to 14.300, where Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Dave Dalziel, N4ICE, and Jim Hirschman, K4TCV--a physician who had assisted in the van Tuijl pirate attack last year--already had activated an emergency net.
Diaz said that his office attempted to work with Venezuela and the RCC in Trinidad to assist the couple. An amateur in Trinidad, Eric Mackie, 9Z4CP, also assisted in communications. Among those standing by on frequency were Ed Petzolt, K1LNC, in Florida, and Hector Godoy, HR3HGB, in Honduras, both of whom were instrumental in the van Tuijl rescue operation a year ago.
At one point, the Coast Guard requested permission of Venezuela to dispatch a USCG C-130 with parajumpers via the US Embassy in Caracas, but permission was denied. Diaz said he finally managed to get permission from Venezuela to allow a vessel from Trinidad to assist. "A Venezuelan Navy vessel arrived on scene simultaneously with a Trinidad CG fast boat, with medical personnel," he said.
Diaz said that while his negotiations were going on, the amateurs on 20 meters were "able to keep the woman in distress in one piece, and not only that, also to provide medical counseling via radio." As various agencies became involved, they also appeared on the amateur frequency, elevating the level of confusion.
Duane Traver, WV2B, was among those who tuned in as the drama unfolded. "David Dalziel, N4ICE, was the acting net control for the Maritime Net and handled the passing of messages between the Coast Guard vessels, the boat in need of help, and the Coast Guard in San Juan, who helped with translating messages into Spanish for the crew of the Venezuelan vessel," he said. "The Trinidad Coast Guard vessel Crown Point was able to use a dinghy to transfer both medical personnel and crew to take control of the boat from the shaken and exhausted victim's wife."
The man was stabilized, but, given the six-foot seas in the vicinity, it was deemed too risky to move him. Instead, the Swedish sailboat continued on to Trinidad escorted by the Venezuelan Navy vessel and the Trinidad CG cutter. "Currently, the gentleman is recovering fine in a Trinidad hospital," Diaz said.
Diaz credited amateurs with doing "a tremendous job" in helping to keep the injured man's wife calm and to relay information for the US Coast Guard to her and for maintaining order on frequency.
"This is what it is all about," Diaz said. "Stay always ready, that others may live."
Pilgrim called the afternoon rescue "one of the most rewarding experiences I have had during my 45 years on ham radio."--thanks to Duane Traver, WV2B, Ed Petzolt, K1LNC, Efrem Acosta, W2CZ, and others for providing additional information for this story
| Previous: Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 Introduced in Senate | Next: In Brief |
