Abandoning the Sinking Ship

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of A againgainst the Odds ad free right now Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app A listener note, Against the odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue, may be invented, but everything is based on research Warrant officer Bob Doyle trudges down a long hallway at the Coast Guard air station in Sitka, Alaska. He could really use a drink right now, but he needs to be sober for the meeting he's about to have It's june nineteen ninety six, and Doyle has been summoned to the office of the Bis new commanding officer, Ted Lefver Captain Le Fver didn't give a reason for the meeting didn't really have to. Doyle knows, it's because he hasn't been showing up for work Or showing up drunk Doyle has served in the Coast Guard for nearly twenty years, ever since he enlisted at eighteen. It's everything to him. But his personal life is in shambles, and it's been affecting his work as a supply officer He just hopes L fever will give him a chance to explain himself L fever's door is ajar. pauses just outside and takes a moment to smooth the wrinkles on his uniform. Then softly He knocks Captain Le Fver, you wanted to see me Lefver looks up from his desk. He's got gray hair, bushy eyebrows, and an air of quiet authority. Stacks of paperwork cover his desk. Uh, yes, it' it's Doyle, right? Come in and close the door behind you He gestures to a chair in front of his desk, and Doyle sits. There's an awkward silence as Le fever fishes a folder out of his stacks He opens it, scans the report inside, then looks at Doyle through wire rimmed glasses So Mr. Doyle I understand that you've been missing a lot of work lately. I Iess that is true, sir care to tell me why Doyle takes a deep breath and launches into his story A few months ago, he discovered that his wife was having an affair with another guy on the base, a flight mechanic When he confronted her, she asked for a divorce and threw him out of the house. Now his wife and the flight mechanic are living together, and he's sleeping in the barracks with the enlisted men She won't let him see their kids And he has to face his wife's lover on base every day the stress and humiliation have been more than he can bear The story pours out of him. the fever listens patiently then Let him off Look, Bob Do you mind if I call you, Bob No, sir Doyle braces himself for a stern reprimand He knows missing so much work could lead to a demotion. or even a dishonorable discharge the expression on Le fever's face softens Bob I Understand what you're going through. I honestly even sympathize My wife She left me too Not that long ago Now, it's Captain Le Fver's turn to tell his divorce story, which also involved his wife having an affair As he talks, Doyle tries to keep a sympathetic expression on his face But inside He's rejoicing What a lucky break, his commanding officer can relate to him. Maybe Le fever won't punish him after all When the fever is done, Doyle shakes his head. Sir I'm so sorry. that It really must have been awful It was But here's the thing, Bob No matter how bad things got You know what I always did No, sir I came to work, Bob And I came to work sober I did my job Now, there's no trace of kindness on Lafver's face is all business Do you understand what I'm saying Doyle feels himself withering under the base captain's icy glare. Yes Yes, sir I understand. That's good That'll be'all, Mr. Doyle Doyle shuffles out of Captain Lefver's office St. He was so sure the captain was on his side Instead, he knows that if he screws up again getet another warning He'll be out. And that means his days in the Coast Guard numbered Triple shot half calf oat milk two pumps extra foam. Your coffee order might be getting a little complicated. Your toothpaste doesn't have to be. Armen Hammer Baking soda tooothpaste keeps it simple, with a powerful ingredient that works hard for you. Baking soda. That's why it's the number one dentist recommended baking soda toothpaste. As you brush, the baking soda particles dissolve to help break down plaque and stains for a whiter smile. so your teeth can feel clean, look bright, and make brushing a no brainer. 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Coast Guard calls Southeastern Alaska the most demanding flight environment for Coast Guard aircraft operations There, the men and women of Air Station SitkA are responsible for patrolling twelve thousand miles of remote and rugged coastlines as well as search and rescue operations on both land and sea You may remember their heroics from past seasons of this podcast, including Alaska Bear Atack. fire at sea, cruise ship rescue In nineteen ninety six and ninety seven, Air Station Sitka was also the home base of a troubled chief warrant officer named Bob Doyle, who would go on to play a role in one of the most infamous shipwrecks and improbable rescues in Alaska's history. This is episode one Black line. Bob Doyle stands on the sidewalk outside a two story clapboard house. That's seen better days Aually That's an understatement. The house is a dump But right now, it might be the last place in Sitka that will have him It's an overcast afternoon in november nineteen ninety seven. Seven months since Bob was finally kicked out of the Coast Guard After the meeting with Captain Le fever, Bob tried to clean up his act. But as divorce proceedings dragged on, his drinking got worse Things came to a head about a year ago when he was arrested for drunk driving To avoid a dishonorable discharge, Bob opted for early retirement and the meager pension that came with it He's bounced around various places in Sitka ever since, Motels, a rented trailer, friends apartments He's been kicked out of all of them For drinking, running out of money, or for both He's tried looking for work, but there's little to be had in Sitka at this time of year. When much of the town shuts down for winter The best he's been able to find is a part time gig fixing gear for a shrimp boat And with only that meager income and his small pension, he can't scrape together enough for rent, child support, and his bar tab Now he's here outside the town's grubbiest boarding house, with all his worldly possessions in two cardboard boxes He's heard that the old lady who owns the place has a soft spot for down on their luck fishermen Maybe she'll take kindly to a disgraced former Coast Guard officer too The front door appears to be nailed shut So he walks down the narrow driveway, past cast off tools and rusty car parts until he comes to a side door. Hello Hello peers through the door's grease stained windowpane and sees a kitchen cluttered with dirty dishes and empty beer cans A few minutes later, a man smoking a cigarette appears and he opens the door Can I help you? Hi, My name's Bob Doyle. I called about the room. Oh yeah, you're you're the coastie X Casty Well, come on in, Bob Doyle, the ex coastie You want drink The man pours a couple of vodka shots and explains the house rules, such as they are The bedrooms. They're all taken But seven bucks a night gets you a coach If you're broke, you can sleep on the floor. No fighting, no weapons. and no trash in the place As their're downing shots, the kitchen door opens and another man strides in He's tall and lanky, with a ponytail and a scar across his nose He sizes up Bob Who was this The man with the cigarette answers before Bob can speak. Bob Doyle, E Coast guuard. Bob, this is Mike DeCapua Bob extends a hand and Mike shakes it warily., I hate coasties They think they know everything. E you know Pull me a shot, will you One another one, Bob Yeah, sure They down another round of vodka shots, then move into the living room, where Mike flops onto a battered recliner and lights a cigarette. Then, Mike starts to talk. Bob realizes quickly that Mike DeCapua loves to talk Mostly about being a fisherman and how he's one of the only good ones left You have a fish, Bob No But I'd like to learn. Bob explains that he tried all summer to find work on a fishing boat, but no one was willing to take on a thirty nine year old newbie Maybe Mike could help him. But Mike just laughs and pours himself another shot M teaching a coastie how to fish. Now that'd be something Mike keep stalking tellelling one yarn after another b how he first came to Alaska to skip out on parole about women he's been with ships hes sailed on And Bob decides to keep listening He hopes that if he listens long enough will change his mind and help him find some work. Mike DeCapua walks along the main pier of Old Thompson Harbor pulling his collar tight against the wind Bob Doyle walks with him It's january nineteen ninety eight And by now, the two men have been fishing together for a few weeks Mike hates to admit it But he's been impressed with how quickly Bob is learning the job. Mike doesn't like their skipper. So they've decided to switch boats They're looking for a ship called the Laconti, which they've heard needs two decades They'll be catching rockfish out in Sitka Sound. And the pay is ten percent of the catch, which be a lot of money Rockfish usually fetches a good price Then they see her. Le Conti She's a large, narrow vessel, about eighty feet long and made of wood, which is unusual for a fishing boat Mike likes the look of her right away. A She's a schooner. Don't see many of those anymore On the dock, they meet the ship's captain Burly man named Mark Morley and the crew boss, Giggy Mork a native Alaskan with jet black hair and boyish features He flashes a grin at Mike Hey, I know you. Long time no C Mike Giggy vouching for Mike, it seems like the job is theirs, but Morley eyes Bob skeptically What's your story Mike sees Bob hesitate, so he jumps in He's green, but I'll vouch for him He's ex Coast Guard No way around a boat. I've been showing him the ropes and He's a fast learner. With Mike's assurances, Morley agrees. He'll give Bob a shot Okay We leave day after tomorrow We'll be out for a week. If you guys do good work, Keep going Sound good. Everyone shakes on it And then Mike asks if they can see the boat. As soon as he sets foot on deck, he can see that the Lacanti is in bad shape She was built way back in nineteen nineteen, and parts of her look like they haven't been updated since The decks are creaky and buckled in places There's black mildew streaking the cabin walls, and a bilge pump is sucking water out of her hold evenven in Dk But something about the Laconti makes Mike smile. She may be old And she's got soul He sees that Bob is less impressed needes a lot of work. I've seen worse The way they build these old ships, man, they hold up better than you think. If you say so And Giggy That guy, man He knows how to fish. We'll make some good money cing for him As far as Mike's concerned, it's decided Tomorrow, they'll tell their old skipper they're leaving And the day after that, Bill set sail on the Laconti Bob Doyle lets out a groan as he hauls in another long line. Like every other line they've cast for the past three days, it's nearly empty. Just a few gray cod, and none of the more expensive rock fish they've hoped to catch So far, their first trip on the Laconti has been a bus, and the twenty foot swells haven't made for a pleasant ride. But Bob doesn't mind. He's learning a lot from Mike DeCapua and Giggy Mork who are both excellent fishermen And more importantly, he hasn't been drinking Being at sea and working a demanding job have given him a sense of focus and purpose he hasn't felt since his divorce. It's helped him stay off the bottle The Laconti is a long line fishing vessel. That means it casts out fishing lines several miles long, each with hundreds or even thousands of hooks Each hook has to be baited and set by hand It's delicate work. that has to be done quickly offten with hands that are numb from cold Alaska winds Bob is getting better at it, but he still marvels at how fast Mike and Giggy are. Pauling the lines back in is no easy feat either The fish have to be unhooked and sorted by species. and they have to toss back any by catch fish they don't have a license for The lines often get tangled Hooks get damaged or lost Everything has to be repaired and coiled before it can be cast out again. When the last of the long line is retrieved, Bob makes his way carefully across the slippery deck to the bait shed, where Mike is prepping their next line You a hand mic It doesn't look up just jerks his chin at a pile of tangled line Good luck with that, though It's all afraid to hell What kind of skipper tries to fish with gear like this anyway? Bob sits down on an overturned bucket and starts disentangling the line Sounds like you don't like this boat so much anymore? Nah, the boat's fine. It's the captain I'm worried about. You think he doesn't know what he's doing? Well. He doesn't know where the fish are That's for damn sure. The buildild alarm goes off Again. Giggy Mork appears in the bait shed doorway and tells Bob to go turn on the pump clambers below deck and finds ankle deep water sloshing around the engine room He fires up a little Honda generator, and, after a few minutes, most of the water has been pumped out But he knows that in an hour or two, he'll be right back manning the pump again Maybe sooner The seas get rough. He knows that Mike still has faith in the Leaconi. But Bob ' starting to have his doubts. Mark Morley sits at the wheel of the Laconti guiding the ship out of the harbor and into Sica Sound For once, he's taking his vessel out for pleasure Not business And it's a perfect day for it barely a cloud in the sky, and the ocean's calm surface is shining like glass After their unsuccessful fishing trip, Morley thought his crew could use a break. So he invited them to join him, his fiancee Tamara, and her teenage daughter Kyla, for a day of whale watching On Bob Doyle accepted Bring along his nine year old son, Brendon Morley hears the pilot house door open Bob appears with Brendon in To. The little boy stares wide eyed at the wheel and morally motions to the captain's chair Hey little man Want to steer Maybe your dad can show you how Brendon nods, and Morley gets up to let Bob take the controls Brendon hops into his father's lap and grabs the wheel with both hands, grinning ear to ear Bob looks up at the captain and now it's the words Thank you Morley steps out to give father and son a little alone time and finds Tamara and Kyla standing at the port railing, gazing out to sea Tamara sees him approaching and points Mark, look There they are Morley follows her finger and sees two spouts of spray in the distance. Pump back whales He wasn't actually sure if they'd see any this time of year Most humpbacks have migrated to Mexico by January He takes it as a good omen that they've spotted some. And Morley could use a few good omens. He didn't want to alarm the crew But that last unsuccessful run put him on thin ice with Lac Conti's owners. They took a chance giving him the skipper job, and he doesn't want to let them down Plus, he recently learned that Tomara is pregnant And he's promised her a diamond engagement ring and a nice wedding. Wow, lookook at that. wow One of the humpbacks breaches and Morley puts his arms around Tamara and Kyla can't believe that soon their own little baby will be in the picture too. He's so grateful for his new family And he'll do anything to make sure they're provided for D Doyle shoves a few more cans of soup. to an already overstuffed cupboard Th then latches it shut He and Giggy Mork are in the Lac Conti's galley, packing away all the food they'll need for their next fishing trip. It's a little before four AM on january twenty third, nineteen ninety eight. The crew has already been up for over an hour getting the ship ready Besides the food, they need to check the engines, bilch pump and winches, and organize all their bait and fishing gear Since their first trip was a b, Captain Morley has decided to venture out into deeper waters in search of rockfish He's set his sights on a notorious spot called Fairwather Ground Despite its name, it's known for rough weather and high seas at this time of year It's also a prime fishing spot. and to maximize their time there Morley has brought on another deck hand An indigenous man named David Hanlon. quuiet, so Bob hasn't gotten a read on him yet But judging from how muscular he is, he should be a welcome addition when they're hauling in the lines When Bob's done helping Giggy with food, he goes to check on their safety gear. He finds everything they're required to have emergency beacons, waterproof survival suits But there's one glaring exception He climbs the steel deck stairs to the pilot house to ask Morley about it. Hey skipper. Do we still not have a life raft From his coast Guard days, Bob knows that their first fishing trip was close enough to shore that they weren't legally required to have a life raft. But fair weather ground is open ocean, more than sixty miles from the nearest land Not having a raft that far out isn't just illegal. It's downright dangerous. Morley seems unconcerned. couldn't find one on short notice Bob doesn't love that answer. but he decides to drop the subject. He needs this fishing run to go well as much as anyone else There's no sense in jumping ship over a missing life raft Finally, the Lacanti is ready to go Morley fires up the engine, the crew unhitches the dock ropes, and the ship chugs slowly out of the harbor Mike dee Kapawa calls out to Bob. Hey Skipper says we can get some shut eye Coming Yeah. I'm going to stay up here and have a smoke. S yourself Mike and the other two crew members head downstairs to their bunk rooms, leaving Bob alone on the stern He lights a cigarette and watches the lights of Sitka as they start to recede When the ship passes some outcroppings called the oldld Sica Rcks, Bob looks for a series of faint yellow street lamps He knows. just beyond one of those lamps, there's a duplex. This ex wife now lives with her two kids and that bastard flight mechanic Bob tries to picture his children curled up in their beds, Brendan. his little sister Katie He wonders when he'll see them again He only gets them every other weekend And if the Leonti is away for too long, He'll miss his next visit When the street lamps are barely visible on the horizon, Bob stubs out his cigarette and heads below deck It's an eighteen hour voyage to Fairwather ground And there's still a lot of work to be done before they get there He needs to get some sleep Doyle pins a wriggling fish against the deck of the Lacanti, trying to stab it with his knife. But this one is massive, and it's refusing to go quietly. He tries to go for the fish's gills, but it twists around and bites him. S I'm a bitch. The rest of the crew is watching with delight. Mike DeCapua is doubled over with laughter I I think he likes you, Boby, shhut up, Mike. Finally, Bob manages to kill the fish with a stab to its head. It's got to be at least a forty pounder. One of the biggest they've caught. Bob guts it, a little haphazardly, and muscles it into a bin that's already stuffed with rock fish When they first arrived at Fairwather Ground a few days ago, it looked like another bust Just after they set their lines, a storm rolled in, and they were forced to take shelter in a cove. They left their lines behind, anchored in place with weights and marked by buoys Let them soak as the fishermen say A few days later, on january twenty ninth, the weather forecast called for calmer seas, and they headed back out in search of their lines They found them around ten PM that most of the fish on the hooks had been reduced to skeletons clean by predators At that point, half the crew wanted to go home including David Hanlon who was battling seasickness, and Mike DeCapua, who felt sure this whole trip was a waste But Captain Morley insisted they try two shorter lines, less than a mile each as a last ititch effort. They let them soak overnight into the morning of january thirtieth And to everyone's surprise Those lines have hit the jackpot. Bob's never seen so many fish in his life Even the veteran fishermen seem giddy with their haul. Each set of hooks called a skate is practically full Dozens of fish per skate adding up to hundreds of pounds As Bob wrestles another fish off a hook He hears Mike call out Hey c How much fish does one of these bins hold eightight hundred pounds. Hell yeah. we got two full already. justust started a third Once each bin is full, the crew ices it down, then lowers it into the hold. They work at breakneck speed. Gutting fish, icing them. Then cleaning the skates and coiling the lines so they can throw out more sets But as they work, Bob starts to notice a problem All that fish in their hold, the Laconti is riding lower in the water And after hours of calm seas, the swells are starting to pick up again. The bigger waves are crashing over the railings, sending spray across the decks. and into the engine room Giggy Mork calls out Somebody turn on the buildillge pump While Mike scrambles below deck, Bob watches David Hanlon stagger to the railing and puke over the side. feels bad for the poor guy Bob can tell from the way he baits his hooks and coils his lines that Hanlin is a season deck hand But even old timers can still get seasick Mike emerges from the engine room, cursing goddamn pump is useless It's not keeping up Higgy motions for Mike and Bob to follow them We've got a backup generator with a suction hose. Help me haul it downstairs. They set up the second generator in the engine room Then run the hose up the stairs and over the railing Kiggie fires it up and they watch the water level fall Slowly Mike looks skeptical Yeah, it's a little better, but we're still going to have to keep an eye on it. Yeahah Diggy knots Come on He still got a lot of line to haul in As they climb the stairs, Bob casts one last look at the backup generator It seems crazy to trust such a jerry rigged thing to keep the engine room from flooding But then again If they can stay out here just a little longer They all stand to make a crazy amount of money Later that afternoon, Captain Mark Morley steps into the Laconti's galley and finds his crew lounging around, taking a smoke break He thinks They earned it Everyone is exhausted from hours of hauling in line. Not to mention running back and forth to the engine room to check the backup generator and the bilage pump But now he needs them to get back to work Listen up guys. Forecast says it's going to get snottier later this afternoon. twenty foot swells thirty knot wins But We have a window of a few hours Let's drop one last big one right now. Let it soak for an hour. Th then haul it back in and head home sound good D Capua is the first to reply. One big line How big exactly? Right now we got twenty five skates and five miles of long line just sitting ready to go. twenty five No capap, that'll take Five hours, at least Morley scows. This isn't the first time Deakapua has challenged his authority. And honestly He's getting tired of it. It'll take four hours if we all haul ass What do the rest of you say For a moment, there's an awkward silence Finally, Bob Doyle speaks up We're with you, Captain Great. Now come on Let's go make some money As Morley leaves the galley and steps back onto the deck, he casts a wary gaze across the choppy seas that surround the Leaconti The swells. are definitely picking up aboutb twelve feet high now But they're still nowhere near as bad as they were a few days ago. and the fishing It's excellent It's the best he's ever seen. He can't tell the ship's owner that he gave up just because of some rough weather So, gripping the handrail tightly, he climbs the stairs to the pilot house while his crew heads to the bait shed. Mike De Caapuwa sits on a wooden crate near the Laconti's stern, head down coiling up long line At some point this afternoon, it started raining, and now it's mixed with hailstones the size of marbles He tries to ignore them and concentrate on his work as they bounce off the brim of his baseball cap He's still pissed off that Mark Morley ordered them to drop a five mile long line with the storm coming up They all know it's a terrible idea But no one else was willing to speak up Now the other guys are hauling in the last of it. Which means they should be out of here before nightfall And not a moment too soon The bilge pump is basically running nonstop, and Mike doesn't trust that backup generator any farther than he could throw it Wh! A big breaker crashes over the deck, dousing Mike in water up to his waist and nearly knocking him over He looks up from his work to make sure he's not about to get slammed again What he sees makes his stomach drop To the untrained eye, it doesn't look like much. just a thin black line across the horizon, where the gunmetal gray sky meets the ocean. But he knows it spells trouble He hurries to the front of the ship and yells up to the pilot house. Hey skkipper. Morley leans out of the window, shielding his face from the driving rain. We gotta get the hell out of here. Why? Mike points to the horizon where the line has grown thicker. See that line? That means a major storm is coming Giggy, backack me up here. Giggy Mork looks at the line, then up at Morley. He's right, Mark. We should go. But to Mike's amazement, the captain still hesitates. How long will it take us to throw out one more line? Just ten skates this time. Are you not hearing us? We're freaking eighty miles off the coast. If we don't get a head startart on that storm, we're all screwed. Let me see if I can get a weather report You do that! Mike ignores the dirty look from Giggy and goes to help Bob Doyle ice down the last of the fish. He knows Giggy doesn't approve of him challenging the captain like that, but he doesn't care. If Morley doesn't know what that black line means, then as far as Mike's concerned, he's useless As a skipper. Mike and Bob are lowering the last bin of rock fish into the hold when Morley stomps down the metal stairs from the pilot house. Okay, Mike You win. Let's get these hatches sealed and the gear stowed and get the hell out of here. Mike can't resist blurting out. Oh, haallelujah And he just hopes that Morley hasn't dawled too long. The waves around them are now running fifteen feet and higher. And when Mike looks between them, he can see that black line on the horizon growing larger D Doyle climbs up the interior stairwell from the crew quarters to the pilot house, clutching both handrails to keep himself from being knocked off his feet It's around six PM and the storm has caught up to them The waves are now cresting more than forty feet Bob wants to check on Giggy Mork, who's been at the helm for almost an hour and must be exhausted Giggy and Mark Morley are the only ones qualified to pilot the ship, and Morley practically collapsed at the end of his shift. He's in the cabin, trying to sleep. Bob finds Giggy white knuckling the wheel and gunning the throttle, pushing the Lacontte up the near vertical face of a wave so tall they can barely see its crest Bob can hear the engine howling in protest as they reach the top. Then, Giggy eases off the throttle, but there's no stopping gravity. The Lacanti plummets like a missile, and Bob braces for impact as its bouse smashes through the trough of the wave and disappears in a cloud of spray. Giggy glances over at Bob You still check in those bilge pumps every half hour? Yep. How much longer before we reach land? By this point, they're not even trying to get back to their harbor in Sitka. They're just heading for the nearest coastline Giggy shakes his head. Not sure. Right now she's topped out at around two knots Bob grrimaces. That's barely walking pace. If they can't pick up speed, they'll be stuck out here all night, and the storm seems to be intensifying The lights flicker, then go out The pilot house is plunged in the darkness. After a few seconds, dam emergency lights click on, but their navigation system stays dark. Giggy jabs at its power button ail A, Main powerers out. Get Hanlon and go below. seeee what the problem is. Okay, Hanlin's still not doing too good. I'll take Mike. Bob returns to the galley where he finds Mike D Capua, already putting on his raingeear and deck boots. Mike scowls at him. Where have you been? We gotta check the vilage pumps. And the main generator, the pilot house just lost power Well, ain't that just frigaking great They climb upstairs to a side door that leads out onto deck. Before they open it, they wait for a break in the waves. Then they make a run for it towards the inter room entrance at the stern of the ship Bob enters first. He's only down a few steps when he stops short. Mike, just behind, merely barrels into him What is it? Oh my God Look The last few steps are completely submerged. Seawater sloshes back and forth across the engine room with each roll of the ship, laapping halfway up the engine block into its motors. For a moment, the Bob stands frozen. He has no idea what to do All he knows is that they're still about sixty miles from the nearest land. And if they can't stop Leaconti from taking on more water, they'll never make it Mayday, Mday. This is fishing vessel La Conti We're on fair weather ground and taking on water Mayday, Mayday. Captain Mark Morley switches channels and repeats his Mayday call has no idea if anyone can hear him Fair weather ground is a dead zone, where most radio communications never reach land. Unless there are other vessels nearby, he doubts his calls are going to be answered His best bet now is to activate one of the ship's two emergency position indicating radio beacons, called EPEbs for short They send a homing signal to the Coast Guard via satellite He flicks the switch on the eperb that's mounted on the wall of the pilot house The second eperb He'll leave for now It's hand held and only really meant to be activated in situations where the crew has to abandon ship Any luck. Won't come to that. Morley's mind races, trying to think of what to do next Then he remembers, Bob Doyle is ex Coastguard. Anyone will know what to do in this situation, it's him. Morley rushes from the pilot house and down to the stern of the boat. There, he finds that his crew has formed a bucket brigade, in a last ditch effort to bail out the engine room Mark calls up to Bob, who's at the end of the brigade, dumping water back into the ocean. Bob, Bob, I said off to Iper, how long before the Coast Guard gets here? In these conditions, I'd say an hour at least, Bob lowers his voice as much as he can, while still making himself heard over the pounding waves. Mark I think you should tell the guys to start putting on their survival suits. Captain Morley feels the blood drain from his face os. Bob is right. The survival suits are their only chance if the ship goes down. Just then, they hear an awful sound from the engine room. followed by a string of curses from Mike dee Capua They know what that means. Engine. is dead And with no power, the Laconti is now completely at the mercy of the waves Bob Doyle zips up the front of his survival suit, then turns to help David Hanlin, who's struggling with his. They're in the bait shed, not far from the engine room, where the rest of the crew is still bailing Hanlin is pale and trembling from seasickness. His hands, usually so nimble when he's baiting hooks, fumble awkwardly with the suit. This a zipper. a zipper stuck or something Bob helps him, grateful that his own hands aren't shaking. They do that when he's been drinking, but he hasn't touched a drop since they left Sitka. He ananks hard on Hanlin's zipper, but it sticks just below his neck and won't move further The survival suits are bulky, made of orange neoprene with strips of reflective tape on the arms and shoulders They have inflatable neck collars to help the wearer stay afloat. And they're waterproof and insulated when properly sealed. But if they can't fix Hanlin's zipper, his soup will start taking on water And in the frigid waters of the Gulf of Alaska, Hamlin could freeze to death Just minutes But that's assuming they have to abandon ship And Bob is still holding out hope against that. He hurries back down to the engine room, with Hanlon staggering behind him There, they find Mark Morley and Giggy Moore in their survival suits, feeleling along the bulkhead walls. The water is almost up to their chest. Mike DCapua is still bailing Now with an air of futility Bob joins him. What' the hell are Mark and Giggy doing? Mike hands him a bucket. They're checking for leaks. I told them that they're wasting their time, even if we find one. We got no way of sealing it. As if on cue, Giggy starts splashing back to the stairs, shaking his head. Moree searches a little longer, then reluctantly follows Just then, a massive wave slams into the side of the ship, knocking everyone off their feet Giggie and Morley disappear under the water in the engine room, thenen come up sputtering. Morley calls out. That's it. Everyone quit bailing and get tops side. I don't want anyone going down with the ship Bob exchanges frightened glances with his crewmates. It's the first time the captain has admitted the unthinkable. onnt you is going to sink Doyle grips the railing and embraces himself as another powerful wave slams across the bow of the ship He and the rest of the crew are huddled together on the fore deck just below the pilot house, which is giving them some shelter from the waves. The only one not with them is Captain Morley. He's upstairs on the bridge, sending one last Mday Bob watches another wave approach. They're so high above them he has to crane his neck to see. Then the wave breaks, driving into the bow like a giant watery fist. For a moment, the nose of the ship disappears under the sea. When it resurfaces, Bob can see that some of the deck plan Ts have shattered like toothmicks. The old scooner is breaking apart beneath their feet B Morly clambers down from the pilot house, clutching something that looks like an oversized flashlight. It's the second handheld eperb. Still no response to my mayays. Bob, is it too soon to activate this? He holds up the ePb Bob shakes his head. No, definitely not too soon. Do it now. Morley finds a switch and flips it, and the eperb emits a pulse of blinding white light It keeps blinking every few seconds, lighting up their wide eyed faces like a cameraflash. Bob explains that the strobe will make it easier for rescuers to find them in the water once they've tracked the ePRb signal to their location and those rescuers will come from his old place of employment The Coast Guard air station in SitCa, about one hundred and fifty miles away. We've got to just hang on until they get here, yeah? And we've all got to stay together. Morley starts barking out orders. Mike, Dave, grab some rope line and start tying us together. Bob, do you know where the buoy balls are? Yeah, I'm on it. Bob scrambles up a steel ladder to the ship's roof. Gateful for something to do When he reaches the top, he marine crawls, afraid to stand up in the gusting wind. Even up here, the waves loom over him like mountains. The biggest ones must be fifty feet tall, taller than the Lacanti's masts. It feels like any one of them could come crashing down on the ship and smash it to pieces bright red buoy balls are lashed to the roof. He unties two of them, fumbling with the knots. When the buoys are free, he climbs back down, clutching a rope tied to each one He moves slowly, testing his grip on the ladder with each step. The ship is now listing beneath them, onene false move, and they'll tumble past the deck into the sea He returns to the crew and finds them roped together in a line. Mike adds Bob to the rope, then ties one buooy on each end. When he's done, Morley calls out. All right, listen up On my count, we're going to jump off the ship and we're gonna do it all together. Everyone ready Morley climbs up onto the railing, which is now tilted at a forty five degree angle. The rest of the crew follows him, with C six Dave Hanlin bringing up the rear. In the flashing strobe of the Eper, Bob watches Morley stare down into the dark ocean below them, trying to time their jump to the rise and fall of the waves If they hit a crest, it could sweep them all back onto the ship and tangle their rope in the rigging If they hit a trough, they'll plummet fifty feet or more. Fom that height, hitting water is like hitting concrete Finally, Morley sees an approaching swell and shouts over the roar of the storm. Okay, on three, one In a flash of the Eper, Bob sees that Mike dee Capua's eyes are squeezed shut. It looks like he's praying. Two. The Lacanti rolls beneath them. Now it's practically lying on his side. Three Bob Doyle feels the tug of the rope as Mark Morley hurls himself off the railing Bob jumps too, and then he's falling through darkness into the cold Churning sea Follow Agst the Odds on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to all episodes of Against the Odds ad free by joining Audible. Aaudible Originals. This is episode one of our four part series, Coast Guard Rescue on Alaska's High seas Quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't exactly know what was said But everything is based on historical research If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books The Last Run, A trrue Story of Rescue and Redemption on the Alaska Seas by Todd Lewan, and Coming Back Alive