A news excerpt describing the Alaska rescue effort going on yesterday and today:

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The Coast Guard had been struggling to help the 738-foot freighter, the Selendang Ayu, since Tuesday when it began drifting after its main engine broke down. But 25-foot swells and 30-knot winds hampered their effort.

A tug boat had attached a line to the freighter on Tuesday evening, securing it for 12 hours. But then the line broke and the vessel resumed its path to the Unalaska Island shore.

The crew of the Selendang Ayu dropped anchor when it reached shallow water, but it was lost in the rough seas after just a half hour.

The crew later dropped its other anchor, which for a while held the freighter four-fifths of a mile from shore, Olson said.

Sometime around 6 p.m. yesterday, the captain of the freighter requested the remaining crew member be evacuated from the vessel, as the anchor had begun to give way and the freighter had started to flood.

Eight were on board, after 18 had been previously evacuated.

The Coast Guard helicopter crashed into the sea soon after picking up crew members, leaving behind the captain and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. They were later rescued by the second helicopter. Around 7:15 p.m., the freighter broke in half.

The Selendang Ayu is a single-deck bulk carrier built in China in 1998. It is owned by IMC Transworld, a subsidiary of IMC Group
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oil spill

Here is a link to some more details from the Times.

I appreciate the fact that the USCG are there for me when I need them. If any of you guys past or present are reading this - thank you for putting it on the line for us.

Steve

As a retired CG pilot who served in Kodiak, I can say that our community is watching this closely. It is always tragic when a rescue aircraft crashes. This is an especially tough time of year for Alaska flying: only 5-6 hours of daylight and almost constant show showers with high winds and seas.
Most of the Coast Guard's fatal crashes occur in Alaska, and most are in winter months.
Note what is similar between this disaster and the New Carissa: failed anchoring and broken/parted towing cables.

Ctflyfish, you may know my brother Jimmy Ng, he was the commander of the Kodiak base in Kodiak. He too was a Helo pilot and still resides with his family there. They have sent me news of this tragedy via E-mail.

Steve Ng

Steve, I met your brother up there before at a Rotary Lunch in Kodiak. My sister in law was the Alaska State Trooper Sgt. in Kodiak and had a great relationship with the Coast Guard out there.

Its a small world we live in, thank goodness that some lives were spared in this tragedy.

Steve

It sure is Steve. I also met the Admiral that spoke about the tragedy on TV many times. He was the Commander of the base before your brother.

Those people up there do one hell of a job. My Sister in Law said they would fly the Troopers into places when their own pilots wouldn't fly because of the weather.

Steve, glad to hear your brother is safe, I was thinking about you and your family when I saw the story on the news last night.

They say commercial crabbing is the most dangerous job but who is it that bail out the crabbers when the shiat hits the fan, the Coast Guard.

Fishng1, I know Jimmy by reputation. He was a fabulous pilot, as near to fearless as you can get and and still stay alive. I was there before him, back when we communicated by banging a rock on the side of the airplane. Tough flying, but the best experience I ever had in 5 flying tours of duty.
Fishing wasn't bad, either.