Land & Sea: A rescue aboard the icebreaker The Grenfell

the Canadian Coast Guard ship Grenville is a new type vessel working in the ice-choked waters of Newfoundland northeast coast captain Phil grandi is our skipper the normal trend of search and rescue is when there is roughly about 75% of our of our search-and-rescue missions of course it's in rough weather because normally that's when other vessels do get in trouble we're not only up here on the northeast coast of course we strict it to the long runner fleet whether we handle all the transatlantic shipping that has problems and look offered to point out that right now were involved in a something bit different than what we've been seeing in the past where everybody is rigorous from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland this is fishing the northern caught stop so if there is a lot of responsibility that was based on a matter of they're special in trying to assist a long liner fleet you must also bear in mind that your vessel must be responsible within 30 minutes to any search-and-rescue call that is given to you from st. John's and of course to immediate response from immediately [Music] I said about three hours ago he was talking to the pirate theme just from that horse I'll never hear well we're providing a service the same way you say as an Iowa is providing a service to the public enjoys on tour so you and the service what we're providing is life every spring in Newfoundland thousands of inshore fishermen go stealing in small open boats or long liners like the antique or del to them the Grenville has meant a new type of security long liner skipper chess Kosh come here well she's done all kinds of jobs you know for one thing we've had a at a record we've never had a loss of life in years before that every year to be two and three six one year people laughter those involved in the sale fishery after that boat came here Tina's got organized nobody has lasted on if there's no more wrist attack they always did they couldn't take those risk if you want to call it that noise you just want to make a living from the steel fishery arrived and the crew members right in there one third of our income we didn't have one third [Music] you'll hear that there's a patch of seals se7 say 60 miles north of swelling gate straight line and you know to experience that there's been a you know the winds being the right way to create a lot of ice in between you and your destination well it's better for you to take an hundred miles underground to get there you know the old saying lying its way around sometimes easiest way home and that's what you have to do in the seals this week [Music] we usually start February month early finger we left January for the bedlam or seals and that's we call the winter seals and then after the seals go to the north during pulp we take the beaters underway south which usually latter part of March 22 merits up until the mid of the middle of April that's where the greatest number of seals are landed is where we make the most money on the beaters we got a good good fried up at the end we get a fair amount in return for it doesn't mean for the grand full of the dollars wouldn't been made that has been made under seal fish I have at least doubled my income from Silvester because of that bowl [Music] the Grenville truly is a new and different type vessel to work along Newfoundlands northeast coast new and that she's not like the larger type icebreakers and different and that because of her stern shape long liners can easily follow in her path but she's also new and different in another way the captain and men who administer her have made a real effort to know and appreciate the very specific problems of the people who work along this coast although here in Newfoundland we call these long liner operators Landsman that's hardly an accurate definition for many of them sealing can mean journeys of over 100 miles offshore and three to four weeks away from homeport when we joined the Grenville on this trip she had been asked to come to the assistance of the long liner ok venture this time captain Roger southern who alternates with Phil grandi was in command [Music] [Music] when we get there ice reconnaissance from our race for reconnaissance plane that travels this Coast anytime that were alongside of a long runner or normal times when we're tied up to a dock you'll get the long run and fishermen coming aboard and I will show them where the ice is at where the open waters at and anything of course pertaining to that ice condition that will point out to them give them distances and magnetic bearings because they're using magnetic compasses all the time and we'll get the magnetic bearings and distances of where the ice conditions doesn't exist long lines will carry welding equipment steel plate burning equipment and if they get into trouble up there with your ice capability with the bow plates and so on any repairs that we can make for the motor will do it for them it would be a lot easier to make the repairs okay if as possible don't you have to ask or Kanagawa back in then you're taking the eventful out of the area where the long learners is that and I'm taking it somewhere else so any repairs like if anything we can do to rudder stock or any information we can get them on the range enough to have engine problems for both fleets and will surely do whatever we can for them the Grenville has been working on the North East Coast for the past four years prior to that larger more conventional type icebreakers work the coast and there was nothing but complaints from the fishermen but with the advent of the search and rescue emergency center in st. John's or Sarek as it's called which administers the Grenville the complaints have now turned to praise he's always hundred years on the road you all here say in the colony I knew your conversation you know what don't worry so connected over the net [Music] [Music] [Music] Comfort Co Coast Guard radio comfort Cove Coast Guard radio Coast Guard ship Granville Coast Guard ship Granville channel 590 read or sit trip number eight - sir X and John's info RCC Halifax from Coast Guard ship brimful Sarek case zero six five stopped completed repairing longliner okay venture total time on incident 12 hours 13 minutes people on board okay venture six sign of mining off you have to make sure that you have your vessel winter controller well you're not building into in loose ice at full speed and bearing in mind that we are not a fool ice picker we are i strengthen under the American Bureau of shipping of Class A and in comparison to and I Specter of course we could move much faster through ways than what we could so moving through Birds low voice DAV ice we have to restrict our speed to the point that we're not going to damage the vessel [Applause] what we try and do when we coming up to a long honor that's a say be sit-in ice is to make a a pass by it so that we will get most of the ice without putting too much pressure and driving flows in on the long runner too bad so normally walk go to a school across the Bell and try and kick up our weak enough to move some of that ice so that the long winter can ease its way into the filth and water that we would make whereas if you went up too tight on the long runner the possibility of driving a flow-on damaging the long runner itself does exist [Applause] [Music] [Music] although the Grenville's primary function is clearly search-and-rescue when possible fishermen will come on board and using the ship's radio try and set up a coordinated move to the seals overnight the Arctic ice has trapped a group of long liners they're in no immediate danger but they want to get at the seals later the Saudi stone wait an Easterner about salt monitor but up to the Nile where some west and southwest they laugh aloud o HT oh boy but as woman he'll come on that ice but a four or five miles on it all big oyster said we can't go down Twitter with Jeff Kings and then tell me what no no no a couple three days ago see they picked off attorney a party seals were born owner today he's known world only yes they got eighty and ninety some boys thunder but it noisy other where we are why we're up barriers of solder on see what a slimeball order ground will touch it down and I did whatever look at it on one so it's often the Gilbert nice aircraft today was up in here and saw what watering area stays close didn't know if I say yeah it is yesterday wind is gone already said yeah so semi hesitant take you in there do you want we don't want going that far think you wanted one between this place / here and all this whatever this one here that one here notice with now we were down to watch that I swear we were down there trailer for moms and also where we are now we saw the good many theatres Lindsay and once we get in there that's all that's all right so wait things up see what happens it's a pretty rough decision to make whether to assist a long letter into an ice-filled and of course knowing full world after somehow or another that they will try and get in there so you have to assess through each individual case of course are you putting them into danger our objective is to take the motor danger there is time after we say no the risk of danger is just a little too wide - we wouldn't want to jeopardize any any bullet order or the personals Oh when our land and sea crew joined the Grenville on this routine patrol it looked as if our day would be fairly normal that morning as we steamed from 28 Harbor little did we realize what events were to unfold for earlier that morning the long liner Annie Cordell had been hold by the tough Arctic ice and was badly leaking some 40 miles northeast of 28th [Music] an exciting day would be ahead for our film crew but unknown to us was that another crew from the Memorial University Extension Service was on board the Annie Cordell the following then is both sides of the rescue as it actually took place we're in an awful predicament we had a large hole on the boat and a pump part of a pump for horsepower part of a pump pumping water we had to build system working on the engine we had a liquid pump as well so there's three pump no vote to take the seawater from the changeover to seawater from the engine back into the village and then that would give me four pumps the whole couldn't have been in a worse place it was just back of the stove once removed the main question remained could they save the boat well they had to remain cool that was the first to go okay I'm into the situation what can we do say vote so this is why I said I tried to stop the leak before even wasting time to call all in with the whole now partially stopped it was time to press the Grenville's radio direction finder into action this establishes exactly what course captain brandy must steer to find the distressed Annie Cordell [Music] any quarterly good for your desk or inches bloody so we have to take the soul go to get out yeah we're very good contestant maybe no all you could turn your radar on but the new you appearing at and here already know those fears over if they don't know all right cool between tools just for the crew of the anti Cordell many uncertainties remain she was hoped to in the Arctic ice and now critically vulnerable what if another leak occurred where if a storm comes up she couldn't move for shelter their only course now was to wait and hope [Music] yeah [Music] if we old communications with the personal person it makes them a little more easier you know that everyone there is alright let's take for instance that we wrote searching for someone that was last reported in a holding boat but we have no communication no exact position of them I think probably one of the main things that you're concerned with is that person still alive that is one of the things that that I personally always was running through my mind especially in the earth environment we have up here in the wintertime on the northeast coast east follow from both scoubidou and when they were reported over do I think that's one of your main concerns if that person is a life plug you find a large or you just find an open ball and it's a very strange feeling when you find just a open ball I just we stopped the radar there because burning for Christmas I don't know what this is you all right probably probably wouldn't be you yet it gets a little red light up there oh yeah I could turn on my searchlight there and see if you can see it over yeah give me a minute there now another get the light onion or we could tell exactly where the anti Cordell was by the electronic pier but there was nothing quite as comforting as that first faint sight of the long liner with the naked eye [Music] with the heavy ice all about extra care had to be taken in maneuvering towards the stricken vessel all was not secured yet the ice was starting to raft up and pack tight so the Grenville moved in gently leaving a path with the wash from her propellers as she finally maneuvered slowly to our side the look of relief was evident on the men's faces and it left little doubt as to what sort of day they had just punched in [Applause] [Applause] the captain came in boy and looked at poem said something wrong because of all the best thing for us to do is take our border winch it up tape to the stern of the boat so if by accident you did strike another piece of ice going through and they could even the bigger gas inside at least you're not going to sink we got you we got your boat cabled up or Wayne stop tight they had the large particle pump what a big suction Tom he also took the boat in tight so you know topical stop wouldn't it's just time to dam dam and break down and you go you needed it so they could keep me afloat there it was 2 a.m. by the time the final arrangements were made to secure the vessel even then with fatigue finally setting in an excitement still running high it was probably too early for all hands to fully realize a disaster had been avoided [Applause] [Music] [Music] as the Grenville told the ante kordell's for the ice we were accompanied by two other long liners which had come along last night and wanted to travel in the vessels clear paths what I find about the Coast Guard that if you haven't got a desire to help your fellow man course you're no good and Coast Guard and that's ex empathized in the grand film you know every man on board of that boat wants to help there's all and you can tell they're sincere about they know it's not just a just a job it's it's part of their product their lifestyle they just just didn't want to do that [Music] we got the best diner Coast Guard service in all of North America it's no question about we're not going to let that ship leave us with the Durrell's our marine service center only a short steam away through Clearwater it's agreed that she can make it safely on her own but for the Grenville she has still more tasks she's now got to move to the west to break ice from a number of harbors our land and sea crew will be leaving her now but before we go we'd like to thank the captains and the crews of both the Granville and the ante Cordell for their assistance you and your crew there you know on air before you guys came with your ailment no that's what magazine safe with them all of it and that they're not overworked - I had already registered thank you very much this is grandpa Lou [Music]

Channel: CBC NL - Newfoundland and Labrador

Views: 80,869

Keywords: Newfoundland, Labrador, CBCNL, CBC, NL, land and sea, Land & Sea, icebreaker, rescue, The Grenfell, twillingate, longliners

Id: 2mhCuMypN60

Length: 28min 3sec (1683 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 17 2018