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At 1800 26 August 1961 a Navy P2V
air craft, flying a patrol mission a
long the wind-swept Aleution Islands,
radioed the following message to the
Search and Rescue facility of the U.S,
Naval Station, Adak, Alaska?
"Small sailing vessel sighted in
•distress. Position 50-33N 177-1OW.
Will orbit until relieved,"
4 This message touched off a series
of events that resulted in the rescue
of a 34 foot sailing vessel and her
storm-wearied crew of three Americans.
^ Dr. Ray Vincent DePue, Jr., M.D.,
jp with a crew composed of his 15 year
old son Ray DePue III and Mr. William
Herbert Long, all of Knoxville, Tenn
essee, embarked on t'neir ill-fated
cruise from Yokohama, Japan. The 34
.foot ketch, equipped with an auxiliary
4 HP diesel engine, set out into the
vast expanse ofihe North Pacific bound
for San Francisco, California, on 25
July 1961#.
»
Dr. DePue and his crew experienced
bad weather from the outset. Storms
lasting from 24 to 48 hours were en
countered at least twice a week. Heavy
seas and high winds battered the small
boat continually and snapped off the
sea anchor. The diesel engine was
rendored useless by heavy seas which
bent the shaft. When serious leaks
developed and the pump broke down,
manual bailing became a necessity.
Fearful of not surviving additional
heavy weather, Dr. De-Pues changed course
and set out for refuge in the Aleutian
Islands to the North.
Dr. DePue stated, "We were battered
pathetically by storms and the seas
continually were breaking over the
boat. Things were becoming pretty de
sperate when we heard a plane some
where above us. When a Navy Patrol
plane flew low overhead we quickly
scrawled an SOS on a board and held it
aloft. Fortunatel*y for us, the Navy
plane spotted our ^distress signal. We
did. not have a ra»dio transmitter."
Immediately upon receiving them
(continued next column)
message from the P2V, Adak's Search
and Rescue team swung into operation.
A Navy UF Aircraft piloted by LCDR C.
C. WHITE, USN? and LT. W. R. FERGUSON,
USNR, was airborne within a few min
utes. The circling P2V, commanded by
Lt. J. E, CHRIJMA, USM, Maintained con
tact with the sailboat until relieved
by the UF. Darkness and unknown sea
conditions prevented the UF from mak
ing a landing on the water. Antici
pating this difficulty, the USS TOWA
KONI (ATF-114) at Adak had beendirect
ed to proceed to the scene to pick up
the crew. The UF continued circling
over the stricken sailboat throughout
the night although contact was lost
for approximately 8 hours due to high
seas, darkness and the low ceiling.
At 0930 on the following day radar
contact was regained by another P2V
piloted by Li• C. B. WARD, USM. Lt.
WARD directed the TAWAKONI to the sail
boat and by 1430 the ATF arrived and
brought the pitching 34 foot ketch a
longside. Dr. DePue, Mr. Long, and
young Ray DePue were taken aboard the
•TAWAKONI where a medical examination
revealed that they were all in good
health.
The TAWAKONI quickly rigged a line
and headed for Adak with the ketch in
tow. LT. F. A. MILDER, USN, Command
ing Officer of the TAWAKONI, reported
that the valient little sailboar had
to be brought alongside twice for pump
ing out when she began to sink. At
1000 on the 28th of August the ketch
was securely tied up to the pier at
the U. S. Naval Station, Adak, and Dr.
DePue and his weary crew became the
unexpected guests of Adak's Bachelor
Officers Quarters.
When Dr. DePue was asked to comment
on his rescue from the sea he statedi
"I really can’t say enough to ex
press our gratitude and respect for
the Navy out here at Adak. They are
doing a fine iob and I am extremely
impressed with their efficiency and
courtesy. I might add that if the Navy
wasn't alert and weren't dedicated to
their mission, we just might not be
alive today. If I were a Navy man ray
continued on Page 4 )