HISTORY LESSON
A Race with Death
40 years later the former CO of the ESCANABA recalls a daring night rescue that saved 31 souls By CAPT Alban Landry, USCG (ret), ’55
“What with the raging seas; the wind whistling across the ocean surface, it would, however, only be a matter of time before either (or both) sections sank. This had become a race with death. . . .” - Excerpted from J.C. Carney’s “Howling Winds; Turbulent Waters.” [Read Carney’s full recount of the rescue at www.jacksjoint.com/ragny.htm]
D
uring the morning of Dec. 26, 1970, the 255-foot Cutter ESCANABA II unmoored at State Pier in New Bedford, MA, on its way to weather patrol duties at Ocean Station Echo, 1,000 miles southeast of Boston. A nor’easter was howling with driving snow that never touched the ground because of the high winds. We went through the harbor seawall cut and passed through Buzzards Bay before turning eastward. Just before we put Nantucket on our port beam, a faint SOS was heard from the Finnish Tanker, SS RAGNY. We confirmed the distress call with CG Radio Station New York. Then it was all engines ahead full, with the storm taking a heavy toll on the ships gear as it plowed through 40 -foot
70
seas. The RAGNY had broken in half in heavy seas southeast of Cape May, NJ, and about 170 miles from us; there were 36 souls on board. In the meantime, the SS PLATTE arrived on the scene early that evening. Attempting to rescue the 31 crewmen on the RAGNY’s stem section, the PLATTE launched a small boat manned by three men. Heavy seas capsized the PLATTE’s boat and one of the crewmen could not be retrieved from the frigid water. “Commander Landry was livid. He had initially ordered the Platt’s captain via radio to not attempt a rescue unless deemed absolutely necessary. Yet, for one reason or another, CG Radio-New York may not have relayed his message. Now Escanaba had one more person to try and find in that tempestuous sea. A job Landry did not relish. The winds being as high as they were, coupled with the towering seas and poor visibility, caused this rescue to turn into a virtual nightmare.” -J.C. Carney
December 2020/January 2021
