Distress at sea: Highest honour for American rescuers

On Friday, the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) honoured the 920th rescue flight unit of the US Air Force with the highest award that sea rescuers can bestow, the "Medal for Rescue at Sea on Ribbon in Gold". Commander Kurt Matthews and six of the more than 80 rescuers involved in July 2017 accepted the rare award at the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg.

The two German sailors Karl-Heinz Meer senior, 66, and Karl-Heinz Meer junior, 48, whose sailing yacht caught fire and sank around 500 nautical miles off the east coast of Florida in the Atlantic last summer, were also present. The two men managed to get into the life raft just in time to call for help. YACHT reported in detail on the course of the accident and the subsequent spectacular rescue operation in issue 17/2017.

The award speech was given by Gerhard Harder, honorary chairman of the DGzRS. He said: "Today, technical progress makes it possible to carry out rescues far from the coast and in circumstances that would have been unthinkable in the past. Nevertheless, technical solutions alone do not save people from distress at sea. Just like more than 150 years ago, when our organisation was founded, today it is the skill, courage and perseverance of the rescuers that make it possible to rescue people from mortal danger."

The "Medal for Rescue at Sea on Ribbon" was awarded in gold, its highest level, for the first time in 20 years. To be eligible for the award, a rescue by or for a German crew from distress at sea must have taken place under particularly difficult circumstances and possibly at risk to life.

The rescue of the crew of the sailing yacht "Caroona" was highly complex, mainly due to the enormous distance from the coast and the life-threatening injuries of one of the shipwrecked men. As the scene of the accident was too far out in the Atlantic to be rescued quickly by a coastguard vessel, an aeroplane and two helicopters were sent to the shipwrecked crew. When this was reached, parachutists jumped into the water with the two Germans and brought them onto a freighter that had been diverted to the scene of the accident. From there, they were rescued by the helicopters that arrived shortly afterwards and flown to the coast to be taken to hospital immediately.

The two helicopters each flew for nine and a half hours during the mission and had to be refuelled several times in the air, while the planes took a good six hours. Over 80 members of the special forces were involved in the rescue mission.

The award ceremony at the International Maritime Museum was attended by US Consul General Richard Yoneoka and the two rescued men. The Meers took the opportunity to personally thank their rescuers once again.