There is a video making the rounds of the Indian Coast Guard in a tussle with some big waves off Mangaluru, and for good reason. Six men are here to tell the tale of a rescue that was as much about timing and know-how as it was about the right equipment for the job.
Dramatic rescue in hostile seas
Watch the footage and you’ll see swells coming at a hard-pressed fishing boat while our guys hold their ground in the chop off Karnataka. There’s a palpable tension until it is broken and the men are hauled out of the water, one after the other.
It was no drill. The Manju Matha had taken on some hull damage and was filling up fast, with the whole crew in the line of fire. Out there, every minute counts.
How the crisis unfolded
It started with a VHF RT call at 4 PM on June 29. The boat was some 33 nautical miles out from the Suratkal coast, which means you have to be on top of your game to get there in a sea like that.
The ICGS Sachet didn’t hesitate. They made for the scene in spite of the wind, the poor light and the kind of visibility that makes you rely on discipline. There was no question of turning around.
A timeline built on speed
They were on site in under 90 minutes. The crew put to use some remote lifebuoys to bring in all six of them. By 6 pm, they were all in one piece on the ship.
Why this mission stands out
When the weather is against you, a rescue is unforgiving. In this instance, the tech and the people gelled. The lifebuoys let them turn a scene of mayhem into an orderly process, so the rescuers could do their job without being in the way of the waves.
Here are the facts of the matter:
– Six fishermen brought in alive
– 4 PM distress signal on VHF RT
– 33 nautical miles out from Suratkal
– Sachet there in 90 minutes flat
– All six on board by 6, not a scratch on them
– Remote lifebuoys did the trick
That is the kind of composure and gear the people who live on the coast count on when a storm rolls in. The Coast Guard will tell you it is proof they can handle themselves when things get ugly.
Aftermath and next steps
Once the immediate danger was over, the men were ferried to New Mangalore to be put in the hands of the local authorities. You could feel the relief set in as they made landfall and put the ordeal behind them.
In the wake of the video, the Coast Guard has been clear: the hull was breached, the boat was flooding, and those six would be in trouble if it weren’t for the remote buoys. A simple way of putting it, but it speaks for itself.
As for the Sachet, she is on her way to New Mangalore to see to the formalities. But the story is already told: we got there, no one was hurt, and the job is done.
For anyone who knows these waters, it’s a straightforward lesson. When it goes south, you need to be ready and close by. This time, we were, and six families heard the news they were hoping for.
