So proud of my brother-in-law, AST2 Michael Salter, one of the Coast Guard rescue swimmers on an early Friday morning rescue in the Gulf of Mexico. A 170-foot research vessel, the Seaprobe, took on water and capsized about 140 miles south of Pensacola. Two air crews, each with one rescue swimmer, set out to save the 12 people who had been on the ship. One crew was from Mobile, AL and the other was from Clearwater, where Michael is stationed. His crew was first on the scene and conducted the rescue in the dark amidst strong winds and 12-18 foot waves. It was in the 40's with water temps in the 60's. Michael rescued 7 of the 12 survivors.
Click HERE to listen to Michael tell the story of the rescue. Also, there's a very good chance you'll see it on The Weather Channel's "Coast Guard Florida" because Michael's air station is one of the featured units on the show. The new season starts tonight (1/23). There's a very good chance one of his other rescues will be featured next week.
PS: When Michael's helo first got to the scene, he looked down at the water and said, "Holy (bleep), those are some big (bleepin') waves!"
He's a super hero to me! (And to my sister, and she's in the Coast Guard, too!)
