A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew rescues a man in the water from under the New Youngs Bay Bridge near Astoria, Ore., March 6, 2025. The crew deployed their swimmer who placed the man into a rescue basket and hoisted him onto the bridge where he was assisted by on scene police officers and fire department members. (Video courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard and Astoria Police Department)
Station Cape Disappointment is known around the Coast Guard as an unforgiving and challenging place to operate. Notorious for 2000 shipwrecks and 700 deaths since its discovery, people across the world recognize it as the Graveyard of the Pacific. But to the crew of Station Cape Disappointment, it is both a home and a training ground.
There is nothing more valuable to human life than the knowledge and skills required to preserve it. A recent course held in Astoria, Ore., offered students exactly that sort of value. The course, specifically designed to educate commercial fishermen on how to survive maritime emergencies, offered a host of information and practical experience aimed at saving their lives.
