Last modified Wed., October 11, 2006 - 04:23 PM
Originally created Thursday, October 12, 2006

'Dusty Dogs' aid rescue at sea

By Lt. j.g. R. Bruce Lindsay, HS-7 PAO

HS-7 personnel lower a rescue swimmer into the water while helping the Coast Guard rescue five fisherman lost off the Jacksonville coast Oct. 1. Photo courtesy of HS-7

The HS-7 ''Dusty Dogs'' rushed to aid the U.S. Coast Guard in its search and rescue efforts of five fishermen lost at sea off the coast of Jacksonville Oct. 1.

After receiving a call from the Coast Guard for assistance Sept. 30, the Sailors of HS-7 rushed into action. Although not in an alert status for the weekend, the squadron recalled duty section personnel to safely launch one of their H-60 helicopters within two hours after receiving the initial request for assistance from the Coast Guard.

HS-7's professionalism and devotion to duty allowed the squadron to react to a challenging and dynamic situation and provide a valuable search and rescue asset when lives were on the line.

After manning the squadron and launching its first search and rescue mission late that night, the HS-7 members remained at work for more than 18 hours until the last of the missing fishermen was recovered.

The Dusty Dogs have been credited with locating one of the missing fishermen off the coast of Jacksonville and were able to guide a Coast Guard rescue boat in for the pick up.