Coast Guard Rescue on Alaska's High Seas | Rogue Wave | 2

11:29Mike DeCapua:Stay on this heading, Dan.

11:30Giggy Mork:I'm trying.

11:31Mark Morley:Molden twists the helicopter this way and that, trying to stabilize it. Finally, he catches a tailwind, and the Jayhawk takes off like a bucking bronco. Attix looks down at the wind speed indicator gauge, and his eyes go wide. It reads 40 knots, then 45, and the gauge keeps climbing, all the way to 75. That's over 80 miles per hour. And these aren't gusts. These are sustained winds.

12:03Giggy Mork:Attic's first thought is that the gauge must be broken. He calls out to Molden.

12:08Mike DeCapua:What's our true airspeed right now? You're not going to believe it. Try me. 225 knots. Attic whistles.

12:18Mark Morley:That's over 250 miles per hour. Much faster than the Jayhawk can fly on its own. That 80 mile per hour tailwind means they'll reach fair weather ground in record time, about 15 minutes. But if this EPIRB signal is real and not a false alarm, how are they going to rescue anyone with the wind blowing this hard?

12:54Bob Doyle:Son of a...

13:12Bob Doyle:and heads, jabbing into his ribs. He wishes they had used a longer rope to tie themselves together. He comes up gasping for air and cries out,

13:23Mike DeCapua:I'm sick of this.

13:26Bob Doyle:This sucks. A fresh wave seems to batter them every few seconds. They can't have been in the water longer than 15 minutes, but already it feels like an eternity. From somewhere behind him, he hears Giggy Moore call out. Hey guys, Dave's not doing so good. Mike shouts back angrily.

13:47Mike DeCapua:Join the club. None of us are doing good. No, his collar, it didn't inflate. I think his suit's taking on water.

13:57Giggy Mork:Mike turns and sees Giggy holding up David Hanlon from behind. Even before they abandoned ship, Hanlon was already weak from seasickness. Without the inflatable collar on his survival suit, he's struggling to keep his head above water. In the flash of the E-Purb strobe, Mike can see Hanlon's skin has a bluish tint.

14:19Mike DeCapua:Sorry, Giggy. I didn't know.

14:24Bob Doyle:Another breaking wave drives them all under again. Mike closes his eyes. He knows from years of fishing that if you get too much salt water in your eyes, they can swell shut. But this time, When he resurfaces and opens his eyes, everything stays black.

14:43Mike DeCapua:I can't see! Jesus! I can't see! I'm blind!

14:48Bob Doyle:For a moment, Mike panics. Has the ocean water blinded him already? But then he hears someone laughing.

14:55Mike DeCapua:You're not blind, dumbass. Your hair is just covering your face.

15:00Bob Doyle:Mike reaches up and wipes his long hair out of his eyes. The first thing he sees is a grinning Bob Doyle.

15:08Mike DeCapua:Honestly, God, if we do make it through this, I'm cutting your hair, you damn hippie.

15:13Bob Doyle:For a little while, they trade insults, which actually starts to make Mike feel a bit better.

15:20Mark Morley:Then, another wave carries them under, and he wonders how much longer they'll have to hang on before rescue comes.

15:35Mark Morley:Lieutenant Bill Addix tries to type commands into the Jayhawk helicopter's onboard computer, but it's bucking so much that his fingers keep missing the buttons. It's a little after 8pm, and they've just arrived at the last known location of the EPIRB. Addix is trying to program the helicopter's autopilot system to fly in a standard search pattern, but it's taking him forever with all this turbulence. Pilot Dan Molden has them flying about 300 feet above sea level over fair weather ground. He's slowed down as much as he can, but they still have an 80 mile an hour tailwind. Normally, they could see the ocean from this height, But even with their night vision goggles, it's pitch black outside the cockpit windows.

16:24Mark Morley:The goggles can only enhance ambient light, and right now, there isn't any. It's just driving snow, sleet, and darkness.

16:35Giggy Mork:Attucks checks his direction finder, an instrument designed to home in on the EPIRB signal. He sees that it's lighting up.

16:43Mike DeCapua:Hey, we got a hit. Where? We just flew right over it. Turn us around.

16:49Bob Doyle:But in this ferocious wind, that's easier said than done.

16:54Giggy Mork:Molden jams the stick over as far as it'll go, and the helicopter begins to turn. But now the wind is shoving it sideways, blowing them even farther away from the signal. Attics yells instinctively, Turn!

17:08Mike DeCapua:Turn!

17:09Giggy Mork:I'm trying! Attics can see sweat trickling from under Molden's helmet. But finally, he gets the helicopter turned squarely into the wind and begins creeping back towards the signal. When they're close, Attix speaks again over the headset.

17:26Mike DeCapua:I can't see anything from this altitude. Can you take us down to 200? Taking us down.

17:32Giggy Mork:When they're at 200 feet, Attix switches on the Jayhawk's powerful floodlight. Now, through curtains of snow, hail, and sleet, he can faintly make out the ocean below him.

17:43Mark Morley:and what he sees astonishes him. Huge waves churn past below them, fast-moving and mountainous. Attucks guesses that the biggest ones are 60 feet tall, maybe more.

17:58Giggy Mork:Occasionally, they crash into each other, sending sprays so high into the air it's practically clipping the bottom of the helicopter. Somewhere down there is the Eeperb. He should be able to spot its strobe light from this altitude,

18:11Mark Morley:But so far, he sees no trace of it or of whatever ship it might have come from.

18:26Bob!

18:27Mike DeCapua:Bob! Help me!

18:30Giggy Mork:Bob Doyle yanks on the rope line holding the men together, following the sound of Captain Mark Morley's voice. Between the darkness and the height of the waves, he keeps losing sight of the others.

18:42Bob Doyle:Finally, he sees the skipper, who calls out weakly.

18:47Mike DeCapua:You gotta help me, Bob. My suit, it's taking on water. I can't feel my legs.

18:54Bob Doyle:Bob swims over to the captain and wraps his arms around him from behind, trying to prop him up. The way Giggy Mork has been holding up Dave Hanlon, the skipper is shaking uncontrollably.

19:06Mike DeCapua:Hey, don't worry, Skip. I got you. Okay?

19:11Bob Doyle:Just then, a massive wave slams down on them, shoving both men underwater. Bob holds his breath. Then he pops back to the surface and grabs hold of Morley again, coughing up seawater. Bob looks around and can't see the others. He shouts over the wind and waves.

19:30Mike DeCapua:Sound off! Mike! Hair! Giggie? Here! Hanlon! Hanlon? A sound off! Giggie, is Hanlon with you? I lost him in that wave. Dave? Where the hell are you? Damn it, Dave! Dave!

19:55Bob Doyle:All the men join in shouting Dave Hanlon's name. Even the weakened Morley cries it out. But there's no response. Then, in the flash of the E-Purb strobe, Bob sees something. One of the buoy balls they tied to each end of their rope has come loose and is floating away. He realizes that it's the ball that was closest to Hanlon. Giggy sees the ball too and starts swimming toward it, but each time he gets close, the current pulls the ball away, and if Hanlon is still attached to it, they haven't seen him surface for several minutes. In the end, all they can do is watch as the buoy ball is swept away in the waves, and Dave Hanlon along with it.

21:00Giggy Mork:Lieutenant Bill Addix stares through his night vision goggles at the chaotic sea below.

21:06Mark Morley:They're homing in on the EPIRB signal, but pilot Dan Molvin can only inch forward into the gale force headwinds. Occasionally, they hit turbulence, and the helicopter rises or plummets 100 feet in an instant. Attucks feels his stomach lurch with each sudden change in altitude. They've turned off their so-called night-sun floodlight because it was bouncing off the snow and sleet, and the glare was blinding Molvin. Now Attucks can barely see anything, except for the occasional white cap of an especially large wave. But then, something catches his eye.

21:44Mike DeCapua:There, I see a flash. Where? Forward and left. Ten degrees.

21:50Mark Morley:Molden follows the directions, and Attucks sees another strobe flash. He's sure now that it's the E-Purb, but he can't yet tell if there's anything else down there. For all he knows, it's just floating alone. accidentally dropped from some passing ship. But then, in the next flash, he sees shapes in the water. At first, he can't tell what he's seeing. It just looks like a bunch of faintly glowing lines. Then, it hits him.

22:20Mike DeCapua:There's people in the water. Are you sure? I see the glow tape on their survival suits. Looks like four, maybe five.

22:26Giggy Mork:Over his headset, Attucks tells the flight mechanic, Sean Witherspoon, to get the rescue basket ready.

22:32Mark Morley:He's never attempted a water rescue in conditions this extreme, and he's guessing no one on his crew has either. But they've got to try.

22:50Giggy Mork:Bob Doyle props up Mark Morley as they ride over the crest of another wave.

22:57Mark Morley:Bob can tell from the weight that the captain's suit is definitely taking on water. His shivering has gotten worse, and he's slipping in and out of consciousness. Bob slaps Morley's cheek to try to keep him awake.

23:11Mike DeCapua:Mark! Mark! Mark! Stay with me! Stay with me, buddy!

23:16Bob Doyle:Mark's eyes fly open, but they're not focused on anything.

23:21Mike DeCapua:Tamara! Tamara! Where are you?

23:25Giggy Mork:Bob remembers that Tamara is Mark's fiancée. He met her and her daughter when Mark took them all whale-watching.

23:32Mark Morley:His heart breaks for the captain.

23:35Mike DeCapua:She's not here, Mark. But you're going to see her again soon, okay? I promise.

23:40Giggy Mork:But now, Mark begins sobbing.

23:43Mike DeCapua:She's four months pregnant. I've never come to see my kid, Bob. Hey, you'll see him? You just got to hang on, Mark. Kosis will be here any minute.

23:56Bob Doyle:But he's not sure he believes it himself. His thoughts flash to his own children. And he wonders if he'll ever get to watch them grow up.

24:07Mark Morley:Another wave hits them, knocking them underwater. When they resurface, Mark's face is a picture of anguish.

24:15Mike DeCapua:I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I never should have brought you guys here. Mark, come on, man. Don't talk like that. No, no, no. It's true. It's true. I'm the skipper. This is all my fault.

24:34Bob Doyle:From somewhere in the darkness, Bob hears Mike DiCapua call out.

24:38Mike DeCapua:Ah, yeah, screw that, man. We're in this together. Don't give up on us now, dammit. Keep fighting. We need you. Don't give up on us. Help's almost here.

24:48Bob Doyle:Giggy Mork joins Mike in shouting words of encouragement, but Morley looks weak and defeated. Bob realizes he might not be able to hang on much longer. And then he hears something, barely audible over the thundering waves. The roar of engines. He squints upward through the driving sleet, then points. Guys, look! Everyone cranes their heads, and they see it. A blinking light, faint, but getting closer.

25:23Mike DeCapua:That's an H-60 Jayhawk. That's the Coast Guard's finest. We're going to get out of here soon, guys. Hold on. Over here. Down here. They found us. They found us.

25:34Bob Doyle:The arrival of the helicopter lifts everyone's spirits. Even Morley perks up. Bob feels a surge of relief. Now they have a fighting chance. But Bob doesn't tell the others what he's thinking. From his days in the Coast Guard, he knows that in a sea this turbulent, it could take the rescuers hours to get them out of the water. They're still a long way from being saved.

26:10Bob Doyle:Flight mechanic Sean Witherspoon braces himself, then slides open the Jayhawk's side door. As soon as he does, windblown Sleek jabs his face like a thousand tiny needles. Every fiber in his body wants to recoil from the cold, but he wills himself to duck his head out of the door.

26:30Giggy Mork:so he can look down at these surging waves below.

26:34Mike DeCapua:Yeah, I see them. Two people, maybe more.

26:37Giggy Mork:He hears Lieutenant Bill Attic's voice in his headset.

26:40Mike DeCapua:We count four. Drop a DMB and a flare to mark their position. Roger.

26:46Giggy Mork:A DMB is a data marker buoy. Essentially, a backup in case they lose both the EPIRB signal and visual contact with the survivors. While Witherspoon tosses it out, rescue swimmer Rich Sansone speaks up.

27:01Mike DeCapua:Mr. Addix, should I prepare to deploy? Hell no, Rich. If we send you out in a sea state like that, we might not get you back.

27:09Giggy Mork:After the marker buoy, Witherspoon drops one of the Jayhawk's five water-activated flares. The wind catches it almost instantly, and he can't even see where it comes down. Addix orders him to drop another one, and this time it gets close enough to the survivors that they can proceed with the rescue basket. Witherspoon grunts with effort as he hauls the basket into position and clips it to the hoist cable. The basket is made of stainless steel, open on both ends, about four feet long and two feet wide, just big enough for one person to comfortably sit inside it. Witherspoon feels himself sweating under his flight suit as he slides the 40-pound basket to the edge of the open helicopter door.

27:57Mike DeCapua:Ready to hoist. Okay, Sean, deploy hoist.

28:01Giggy Mork:Witherspoon shoves the basket out of the door.

28:03Mike DeCapua:Baskets away.

28:05Giggy Mork:But instead of dropping straight down, the basket sails backwards, parallel to the helicopter. The wind is catching it, sending it dangerously close to the Jayhawk's tail rotor. If the hoist cable gets snagged in the rotor blades, they'll crash for sure. Frantically, Witherspoon hauls the basket back in. Clearly, this isn't going to be a typical basket deployment. Witherspoon needs to try something else. He addresses the pilot, Dan Molvin.

28:35Mike DeCapua:Dan, take us forward 200. 200 feet? Are you sure? Yeah, the basket, it's flapping around like a kite in this wind. We gotta get upwind of the survivors.

28:47Bob Doyle:Witherspoon waits until the survivors are well behind them. Then he picks up the heavy basket and hurls it out of the door with all of his might. As soon as that's done, he begins playing out the hoist cable as fast as it'll go. The motorized winch does most of the work of lowering the basket and raising it again,

29:05Giggy Mork:but for Witherspoon, it's still a workout. He has to sling the cable over his shoulder, so it won't hit the edge of the door frame, which would cause it to fray. Then, by gripping the cable, he can exert some control over where the basket comes down. It's a skill he's honed over hundreds of hours of training and live rescues, requiring a combination of delicate touch and of brute strength. Witherspoon notes with satisfaction that the basket is now well clear of the helicopter's tail rotor. He keeps playing out the cable until he sees a splash.

29:41Mike DeCapua:Basket is in the water.

29:43Bob Doyle:But just seconds later, a huge wave catches the basket and sweeps it out of sight. The cable goes taut, and the winch mechanism screeches. Ah, damn it! Rich Sansone, the rescue swimmer, calls out.

29:58Mike DeCapua:Need help, Sean? No, I got it. We need you on altimeter and comms.

30:03Giggy Mork:Operating the rescue basket hoist is supposed to be a one-person job. Sansone has other responsibilities, and Witherspoon doesn't want to break protocol by asking for help. Besides, he can bench press 300 pounds. Even when the winch is malfunctioning or maxed out,

30:21Bob Doyle:he should be able to haul in the basket on his own. But he's never felt resistance like this.

30:28Giggy Mork:It's like the entire ocean is fighting him. Finally, with all of his strength, He pulls the basket free of the water, but when he looks for the survivors, he sees they've been swept another hundred yards away.

30:42Bob Doyle:He'll have to reel in the basket and try again. With sweat now pouring down his face, Witherspoon retrieves the basket, then calls out instructions to Molven to get them in position for the next toss. Witherspoon is already exhausted, but he refuses to give up until all of those men are out of the water.

31:10Bob Doyle:Mike DeCapua watches with growing frustration as the rescue basket whips around above their heads, flapping in the wind like a torn sail.

31:19Giggy Mork:By now he's lost count of how many times the Coast Guard rescuers have attempted to drop it. Half of the time, it hits the water hundreds of feet from the fishermen. Other times, they can't even get it lowered all the way before they have to reel it back in. Mike calls out to Bob Doyle.

31:36Mike DeCapua:Hey, Bob, what the hell is wrong with these coasty friends of yours? Don't they know what they're doing? I know, but this wind is crazy. They're doing the best they can.

31:48Giggy Mork:The basket flaps around some more. Then, amazingly, it starts heading straight toward them. Bob shouts.

31:55Mike DeCapua:Everyone, be careful, okay? This thing is heavier than it looks. If it hits you in the head, it's going to kill you. Let it hit the water first.

32:03Bob Doyle:The men paddle furiously to get out of the basket's path. It lands right next to them for just a split second, but then it bounces off the ocean's surface like a skipping stone across a pond. Moments later, it's out of reach. Mike snarls in frustration.

32:22Mike DeCapua:This is freaking insane! They're never going to get us this way.

32:26Bob Doyle:Again, he hears Bob's voice.

32:28Mike DeCapua:We just have to be patient, okay? They know what they're doing.

32:33Bob Doyle:Mike takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He's not used to feeling this way, so helpless and terrified. All of his life, Mike has never been afraid of danger.

32:46Giggy Mork:He ran away from home when he was 13, desperate not to end up like his father, who was stuck in a dead-end factory job. He traveled the country by hopping freight trains, did some jail time for burglary, and won and lost his fair share of bar fights.

33:02Bob Doyle:He's lived in the moment with no fear and no regrets. That's what he loves about fishing. When he's coiling line and hauling in a catch, he's not thinking about anything else. He's completely present. But now that he's floating here amid 60-foot waves, staring death in the face, he finds himself looking back at his life and wishing he'd done so many things differently. He wishes he'd drunk less. He wishes he'd been better to his ex-wife. Above all, he wishes he'd kept in touch with his daughters. How long has it been since he's seen them? 19 years? He tries to imagine them grown up, but he can't picture it.

33:47Bob Doyle:Then, another wave sweeps him under, and all Mike can think about is holding his breath.

34:04Giggy Mork:In the cockpit of the Jayhawk, Lieutenant Bill Attucks hears rescue swimmer Rich Sansone's voice over his headset. Mr.

34:13Mike DeCapua:Addix, Witherspoon needs a break. He's pretty wrung out. Copy. Dan, take us up to 350 feet. We need to regroup.

34:21Giggy Mork:They've been attempting to rescue the men in the water for over an hour now, but so far, they haven't been able to get the basket anywhere near them for more than a few seconds.

34:32Bob Doyle:Between the wind and the waves, it's beginning to feel impossible. They need to try something different. He turns to pilot Dan Molden.

34:41Mike DeCapua:We need to fly lower. I'd say 80 feet. We'll never be able to get the basket close otherwise.

34:48Bob Doyle:Molden shakes his head.

34:50Mike DeCapua:I don't know, Bill. It sounds dangerous. You've seen how big some of these waves are. I know, but look, if you're not comfortable, I understand. Why don't I take the controls then?

35:02Giggy Mork:When he was a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, Attucks flew plenty of low-altitude night missions. So Molden agrees. Attucks will fly the Jayhawk on the co-pilot's seat. Attucks relays the plan to Sean Witherspoon and Rich Sansone, then takes the helicopter down. He can see the waves looming dangerously close to the Jayhawk's underside. But when they get too close, Sansone warns him using the altimeter, and he's able to pull it up in time. The first basket drop is their closest yet. Still not close enough for the men to reach it, but Attucks is encouraged. At this lower altitude, Witherspoon is able to work more quickly, giving them more cracks at hitting a bullseye.

35:47Giggy Mork:Finally, on their fifth attempt, Attucks hears Witherspoon over his headset.

35:52Mike DeCapua:Basket is in the water. Gotta be within 15 feet. Ah, damn it. I lost him.

35:59Giggy Mork:Attix scans the water through his night vision goggles.

36:03Mike DeCapua:No, I'm not seeing them either. But there is one of our flares, so they gotta be close.

36:08Bob Doyle:Attix tracks the path of the flare as it rides up the face of a wave. The green glowing light rises and rises and then disappears.

36:17Giggy Mork:It must have burnt out. He's about to tell Witherspoon to deploy another one when Sansone's voice comes screeching through his headset.

36:25Mike DeCapua:altitude, altitude, up, up, up.

36:28Giggy Mork:Then Attix realizes what's really happening. He leans forward and looks up through the top of the windshield and sees the flare, 20 feet above them. It's at the top of a massive rogue wave,

36:41Bob Doyle:and it's about to come crashing down right on top of them.

37:00Bob Doyle:Bob Doyle can't believe what he's seeing.

37:04Giggy Mork:The Coast Guard helicopter is now below them. He and his crewmates are getting swept up the face of a monster wave. It must be at least 100 feet tall. And it feels like it's about to send them hurtling down smack into the helicopter's rotor blades.

37:20Bob Doyle:They'd be sliced to pieces right before the chopper gets crushed like a beer can. He hears the other men screaming, but finds that he can't make a sound. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion. From this angle, he can see right into the Jayhawk's cockpit. He can make out the pilot's helmets, but not their faces. He wonders if he knows them from his Coast Guard days. Then the helicopter disappears behind the wave. Bob realizes he and the other men have been carried over the crest and are now careening down the wave's backside. With a thundering crash, the wave breaks. Bob looks around and is amazed to see that they're all still together, still tied to their rope.

38:06Bob Doyle:Then he hears Mike DeCapua shout, Where is the chopper? Bob looks around, and sure enough, the Jayhawk is gone. He hopes the wave didn't swallow it. He hates to think that anyone from Sitka Air Station could die trying to rescue him. Also, he realizes if the helicopter really did crash, then their chances of being rescued have likely crashed with it.

38:41Bob Doyle:Lieutenant Bill Attucks pulls back as hard as he can on the collective stick, trying to bring the nose of the Jayhawk down.

38:49Giggy Mork:But it's no use. As soon as the rogue wave broke, they found themselves caught in a ferocious updraft, which pitched the helicopter back on its tail like a rearing horse. Now they're being blown backwards in a hurricane force headwind.

39:05Bob Doyle:Dan Molvin yells something from the seat next to him.

39:08Mike DeCapua:Level us out! I'm trying!

39:10Bob Doyle:Finally, the wind dies down, and Attucks regains control. He checks their marker buoy signal and is shocked to see they've been blown roughly 4 ,000 feet from the survivors. almost a mile. Over his headset, Attucks hears rescue swimmer Rich Sansone.

39:26Mike DeCapua:What the hell was that? You guys almost got us killed. Hey, Sansone, take it easy. That's an order.

39:35Bob Doyle:Once everyone's gathered themselves, Attucks takes stock of their situation, and it's not looking good. Sansone reports that when they were blown backwards, the rescue basket

39:46Giggy Mork:was still deployed. And during that rough ride, the hoist cable got hopelessly tangled. When they try reeling it in, it gets frayed and knotted in the hoist mechanism.

39:57Mike DeCapua:And that's not all, sir. Witherspoon, he's, well, I think he's done. What do you mean done? He's puking his guts out right now. I think he just overexerted himself.

40:08Giggy Mork:They discuss their options. With no flight mechanic and no hoist cable, they can't lower the basket again, and they can't deploy their rescue swimmer, Sansone, because with no cable, they have no way of getting him back. Finally, Attix says the words no Coast Guard rescue commander ever wants to say.

40:28Mike DeCapua:Well, boys, I'm calling it. We gotta go home.

40:32Mark Morley:No one responds. Attix knows that his crew is stunned. Coast Guard teams never leave people in the water,

40:41Bob Doyle:but they've got no choice. They've given it all that they can. Plus, their fuel is getting low.

40:48Giggy Mork:If they don't leave now, they could wind up in need of rescue too. Attucks hands the controls back over to Dan Molden and tells Sansone to get Witherspoon some fluids and pack him into a hypothermia bag. He'll probably need medical attention when they get back to base. He also tells Sansone to radio the air station and request a second helicopter. Their comms out here are spotty, but hopefully Sansone can still get through.

41:18Bob Doyle:And then, reluctantly, he gives Molden a compass heading that will take them home.

41:31Bob Doyle:Bob Doyle feels another flicker of hope when he sees the helicopter flying back towards them. They're still here. The wave didn't crush them. But when the Jayhawk reaches them, it doesn't stop. It flies right past, and it keeps going.

41:47Mark Morley:Mike DiCapua curses as it passes.

41:52Mike DeCapua:What the hell, man? You're the friggin' Coast Guard. You can't just leave us here. Bob, what the hell are they doing? They must just be low on fuel, okay? They'll come back.

42:03Bob Doyle:But inside, he feels his anger welling up. Mike is right. They're just leaving. It's like the Coast Guard is abandoning him all over again. First they kicked him out at the lowest point of his life, and now they're leaving him out here to die. Not for the first time in this whole ordeal, Bob finds himself craving a drink. A strong one. Bob. Mark Morley's voice snaps him out of it. The skipper has stopped shivering now, a sure sign that hypothermia is taking hold. Bob pulls him closer and leans into his ears, so Morley can hear him over the waves. Hey, Mark. It's okay, alright? I'm here. Why...

42:53Bob Doyle:why did they leave? They'll be back.

42:57Giggy Mork:And when they get here, I'm going to make sure you're the first one up. I promise.

43:03Bob Doyle:Bob keeps talking like that, murmuring reassurances into Mark Morley's ear. Truthfully, he's trying to reassure himself too. They'll come back for them. They have to.

43:27Mark Morley:Follow Against the Odds on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Against the Odds ad-free by joining Audible.

43:40Giggy Mork:From Audible Originals, this is episode two of our three-part series, Coast Guard Rescue on Alaska's High Seas. A quick note about our scenes.

43:52Bob Doyle:In most cases, we can't exactly know what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books The Last Run by Todd Lewin and Coming Back Alive by Spike Walker.

44:07Giggy Mork:You can also listen to the audiobook version of Coming Back Alive right now on Audible. Produced by Audible, I'm your host, Mike Corey. Andy Herman wrote this episode. Our editor is Steve Fennessy. Sound design by Joe Richardson. Engineered by Sergio Enriquez. Original theme music, Scott Velasquez and 2K for Freezing Sync. Fact-checking by Alyssa Jung Perry. Produced by Emily Frost. Managing producer, Desi Blaylock. Senior producers, Andy Herman and Austin Rackless. Executive producer for Audible, Jenny Lauer Beckman. Head of creative development at Audible, Kate Naven. Head of Audible Originals North America, Marshall Louis.

44:53Giggy Mork:Chief Content Officer, Rachel Giazza. Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC. Sound recording copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC.