Training Ship Crew Rescues Sailboat Captain

Published Jun 14, 2015 3:43 AM by The Maritime Executive

The crew of Maine Maritime Academy’s Training Ship State of Maine rescued a yachtsman while transiting the Atlantic Ocean last week.

The training ship was heading toward Portland, Maine on Wednesday morning when Captain Leslie Eadie was contacted by the U.S. Coast Guard Regional Coordination Center in Boston regarding a sailing vessel in the vicinity that was taking on water. The Prodigal, a sailing vessel registered in Norfolk, Virginia, was battered by recent storms, and its captain, Michael Hurley, had radioed for help.

The State of Maine was approximately 520 nautical miles SSE of Halifax, Nova Scotia and approximately 29 nautical miles from the imperiled sailboat when it changed course to meet the vessel. About one and a half hours after the initial call, they were able to establish communication with the vessel, and learned that the sailboat had structural damage, but was still afloat.

As the training ship advanced toward the rescue site, students aboard the State of Maine prepared to render assistance by checking the fast rescue boats, fastening a cargo net to the main deck which would hang to the waterline to act as a target as they brought the two vessels together, and rigging a jacob’s ladder for the sailboat captain to climb away from his sailboat.

The sailboat came alongside the State of Maine and crew transferred several loads of personal gear off of the sailboat, and then her Captain—the only person aboard—stepped across to the cargo net and began his climb up the side of the training ship. Within a couple of hours, Captain Hurley was able to call his wife to apprise her of the situation. He would then get settled for the transit to Portland, and enjoy a hot meal.

“I’m so proud of our fine students, officers, crew and staff, who were put to the test today,” said President William J. Brennan when he heard the news of the rescue. “Please thank Captain Eadie and all hands for me on a job well done.”

The State of Maine sails under the direction of Captain Leslie B. Eadie III, of Brewer, Maine. A 1976 graduate of the Academy, Captain Eadie assumed command of the vessel in 2011. The 500-foot, 16,000-ton training ship State of Maine, originally commissioned as the USNS Tanner, served as a Navy oceanographic research vessel before being converted in 1997 to accommodate the training needs of the college. The fourth vessel to bear the name State of Maine, the ship is a modern, technologically advanced training vessel.

Photo credit: Maine Maritime Academy