Coast Guard personnel from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka flying an MH-60 Jayhawk rescued a 70-year-old man from the water near Union Bay, northwest of Ketchikan, Sunday night despite stormy weather.
“What saved this man’s life was his essential survival equipment,” said Coast Guard helicopter pilot Lt. Justin Neal. “He had an emergency position indicating radio beacon registered in his name that allowed us to find him quickly, and his survival suit kept him warm long enough for us to rescue him.”
The man was in the water, clinging to a piece of debris before he was hoisted to safety. Conditions at the scene were 57 mph winds and 10 foot seas as a major winter storm blew through the area.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
