2001 AFRAS Gold Medal / AMVER Award Ceremony

Steve Trimmer, left; John Chomeau AFRAS President; and Ed O'Brien Director.	The Hon. Norman Minetta congratulates Gold Medal winner Michael Carola, Boatswain's Mate Third Class	The Hon. Norman Minetta, Secretary of Transportation (left); Captain Gary Toledo, Master M/V CHEVRON WASHINGTON; Admiral James Loy, Commandant USCG (right)	Kristbjorn Oli Gudmundsson (left); Jon Gunnarson of ICESAR in Iceland
2001 AFRAS Gold Medal / AMVER Award Ceremony	2001 AFRAS Gold Medal / AMVER Award Ceremony	2001 AFRAS Gold Medal / AMVER Award Ceremony	2001 AFRAS Gold Medal / AMVER Award Ceremony

AFRAS held its annual Gold Medal/AMVER award ceremony 3 October on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This year the event was co-hosted by Representatives Frank LoBiondo, Chairman, Coast Guard and Transportation sub-committee and Howard Coble, co-Chairman, Congressional Coast Guard Caucus. Admiral James Gracey, AFRAS Chairman presented the Gold Medal Award to Michael Carola, Boatswain’s Mate Third Class and the AMVER plaque to the captain and crew of M/V CHEVRON WASHINGTON.

Present at the reception and addressing the group were the Honorable Norman Y. Minetta, Secretary of Transportation, Representative William Delahunt, 10th Congressional District of Massachusetts and Admiral James M. Loy, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard. Also present were Representatives Virgil Goode, Ed Schrock, Walter Jones and Roscoe Bartlett.

Foreign representatives attending included Andrew Freemantle and Ian Ventham of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) of Great Britain; Steve Daust of the Canadian Coast Guard; Jean Beaton of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary; and Jon Gunnarson and Kristbjorn Oli Gudmundsson of ICESAR in Iceland. The reception was made possible by a grant from Maritime Rescue International (MRI) in Scotland.

Gold Medal Award

Gold Medal awardee Michael Carola is cited for heroic achievement while serving as crewman aboard Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat 47201 (MLB) during the rescue of seven passengers from the fishing boat LITTLE FLY FISHERMAN. The vessel sank shortly after striking the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge on the outer banks of North Carolina. One of the victims, an 82-year old man suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia, became pinned against the inside of the bridge fender system by the raging current.

Since it was impossible for the MLB to maneuver between the concrete bridge piling and fender system, Seaman Carola scaled the bridge fender and attempted to pull the victim to safety. His efforts proved unsuccessful due to the swift current repeatedly dragging the victim beneath the surface. Having no rescue swimmer training, and after witnessing the current pull another victim completely under the bridge fender system, Seaman Carola ignored the danger to himself and entered the water. He placed his body between the victim and the bridge fender, fighting against a standing wall of water to hold the head of this 250-pound man above the surface.

Following an unsuccessful attempt by the MLB crew who struggled to pull Seaman Carola and his victim to safety using a life ring with tending line, the exhausted victim told Carola that he was not going to survive and to let him go. Still tightly pinned against the bridge fender, Seaman Carola forced the life-ring over the victim’s head and under his arms while desperately encouraging him not to give up. Believing that the elderly man had only minutes to live, Seaman Carola directed the boat crew to take the tending line up to the bow and to use the MLB to pull them clear. Once free of the fender system, Carola swam the then unconscious victim to the safety of the MLB.

Seaman Carola demonstrated remarkable initiative, exceptional fortitude, and daring in spite of imminent personal danger in this rescue, resulting in saving the life of this 82 year old man. His courage and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.

AMVER Plaque

The U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Command Center received a 406 MhZ SARSAT distress alert from the 53-foot sloop KOKOPELLI 2, approximately 1050 nautical miles WSW of San Francisco on 11 August, 2000. The vessel was returning to Santa Cruz from Kaneohe Bay after a Pacific Cup Race. A C-130 aircraft was launched from Air Station Sacramento and the search and rescue coordinator ran a check of the AMVER system.

The 600-foot tanker CHEVRON WASHINGTON was located 85NM to the southeast of the sailing vessel’s position and was diverted via Inmarsat to investigate. The C-130 located the sailing vessel dismasted and disabled, and vectored in the tanker to evaluate the condition of the 5 persons on board. The ship learned that one crewmember while bending over a winch had been struck in the lower back when the mast collapsed and had no feeling from mid-groin down. The Chevron tanker maneuvered its rigid hull inflatable boat alongside the sloop, transferred the patient and administered codeine for pain.

The AMVER vessel departed the scene and briefed the flight surgeon on the man’s condition. The Coast Guard then requested that the ship return to VHF communications range with the sailing vessel to pass intentions, future plans and critical communications from the vessel’s owner. A conference call was arranged between the ship, the flight surgeon, rescue coordinators and Chevron’s contract medical advisory service. All concurred that evaluation and stabilization by U.S. Air Force pararescue jumpers was advisable.

11th District requested the assistance of the 939th Air Force Reserve Wing in Portland, Oregon. The unit already had a trainer flight scheduled to do a night jump and so it accepted the mission. Rescue 821 was soon airborne with an ETA of 2300 hours. M/V CHEVRON WASHINGTON got underway at 13 knots toward the rendezvous position. Four paramedics from the 304th Rescue Squadron parachuted and were recovered by the tanker. Then they stabilized the patient, provided a critical medical evaluation and prepared to extract him by helo hoist. When in range, about 600NM SSW of Portland, the 304th and 303rd worked together to evacuate the patient, employing C-130 tankers and refuelable helicopters, to a hospital in Portland.

VADM Ernest Riutta, USCG, commended the ship for its prompt response, initial medical care, night recovery of the pararescue jumpers and participation in hoist operations. "You should take great pride that your actions helped deliver a severely injured (and ultimately paralyzed) sailor to a hospital from 1,000 miles at sea."

AFRAS salutes Captain Gary Toledo, Master CHEVRON WASHINGTON and his crew for going well beyond the call of duty; 4 days on scene and a dramatic rescue at sea.