Students of the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) in Astoria, Ore., and crew in training from the National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLS) at Station Cape Disappointment in Washington executed a nearly impossible rescue. While dangerous weather and high seas prevented NMLS crew from a boat-to-boat rescue, the AHRS team in an MH-60 helicopter flew above the site where the mariner and vessel struggled in the violent sea. A rescue swimmer, lowered by cable from the helicopter, reached the water just as a massive wave submerged the mariner and boat. Yet the Coast Guard swimmer continued, ultimately reaching and saving the sailor while the boat itself was shallowed by the sea. Both swimmer and mariner were hoisted to safety aboard the helicopter. This was the first time ever the swimmer saved a life. Three hours later, he and his classmates graduated from the AHRS.
Here two Coast Guard motor lifeboats-one on the left and the other on the right-are shown when they were deployed but were unable to rescue the distressed mariner and vessel pictured in the middle of the painting. The attempt was made at the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River, known as "The Graveyard of the Pacific." US Coast Guard Art Program 2023 Collection, Ob Id # 202322, Against all odds: Oregon rescue, Kirk Larsen, oil, 10x20 inches.
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