On 31 December, the crew of CGNR 1720 was launched from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point for a distress call from the M/V SINCERITY ACE which experienced an uncontrollable engine room fire 1,800 nautical miles west of the island of Oahu and 350 nautical miles from Wake Island –the closest usable runway. Their heroic actions resulted in saving 16 of 21 mariners at sea.

The SINCERITY ACE, a 650-foot car carrier vessel, was actively transporting motor vehicles from Yokohama, Japan to Honolulu, HI. The fire rendered the lifeboat davits useless resulting in a perilous situation at sea. Prior to launch, the pilots and aircrew conducted meticulous fuel calculations in order to maximize time on scene and on load multiple ASRK-24s comprised of life rafts and survival kits due to the complexity of the SAR case and the vast distance from land.

After a 7.5-hour transit, CGNR 1720 arrived on scene and observed multiple survivors in the water, spread out across a five square mile area, with several still attempting to abandon ship by being lowered into the water. CGNR 1720 immediately established on scene command, organized rescue efforts, and commenced vectoring five Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) vessels to each survivor’s location.

Due to the 20-24 foot waves and 30 knot gusting winds, it was extremely difficult for the AMVER vessels to locate the survivors. The crew of CGNR 1720 elected to deploy two ASRK-24s alongside the burning vessel to assist t_hose abandoning ship and deployed a flare in the vicinity of a group of three people to assist in marking their position.

CGNR 1720 established a maximum endurance profile and coordinated search action plans to minimize the gap in air surveillance before another aviation asset could arrive.

Prior to CGNR 1720’s departure from on scene, eight victims had been successfully rescued, and AMVER vessels were engaged in recovering another eight. After 11.2 flight hours, CGNR 1720 safely recovered at Wake Island. The next day, CGNR 1720 continued the search and safely deployed a canister packed with Meal’s Ready to Eat to one of the AMVER vessels to feed the survivors, since the vessel was not equipped to sustain additional passengers.

The crew demonstrated superior airmanship, comprehensive aircraft and procedural knowledge, well vetted operational risk management, and exceptional crew coordination. The crew selflessly performed their duties, resulting in 16 lives saved.