 October 21, 2003
The Coast Guard Command Center here received a distress call Monday night around 11:30 p.m. from Curtis Brown, the master of the Ketchikan-based, 36-foot fishing vessel Motherlode. Brown reported that his vessel's steering failed and that inclement weather forced the ship's anchor to drag. Brown reported that he and his two unnamed crewmen anchored just south of Windy Point in about 150 feet of water. Brown reported that his crew experienced weather conditions bringing gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour and 10-foot waves. The Coast Guard launched a Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew from Air Station Sitka to assist the men. When the rescue crew arrived on scene, they instructed the three men to don survival suits and jump into the water one at a time, so they could hoist them. The rescue crew couldn't hoist them from the Motherlode's deck because of the rough weather conditions and ship's size. After successfully hoisting
the three men, the Jayhawk rescue crew transported them to Ketchikan
International Airport this morning. The boat's crew is currently
making commercial arrangements to salvage the Motherlode. The
fishermen suffered no injuries during the incident.
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