On a recent Friday afternoon in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, a loud boom drew the attention of NOAA personnel at the Marine Operations Center-Pacific pier. Thick smoke was spotted billowing from a nearby recreational vessel, the result of a fire on board.
The vessel began drifting toward the NOAA pier and Yaquina Bay Bridge and the urgency of the situation quickly became apparent. Fortuitously, a NOAA Tides and Currents team aboard the R/V Bailey conducting a tidal currents survey of the bay responded.
Upon reaching the distressed vessel, NOAA's crew of civilian scientists and NOAA Corps officers helped transfer three boaters aboard the R/V Bailey and radioed the U.S. Coast Guard as they attempted to suppress the fire with a handheld extinguisher. Unable to put out the fire, which appeared to have spread to the pier, they safely retreated in the R/V Bailey and remained on scene to await the arrival of a U.S. Coast Guard lifeboat and local emergency services.
NOAA’s crew then returned to the center’s small boat pier with the rescued individuals, where they were given medical support by a U.S. Public Health Service officer assigned to NOAA. No major injuries were reported or evident, and no NOAA vessels were damaged.
While the training, quick thinking and bravery of NOAA’s crew led to a safe ending for all involved, the incident serves as a good reminder that safety at sea is paramount. Witnessing or being involved in an emergency is never easy, and the professionalism shown by NOAA’s team represented the agency well, showing why our teams serve and how they make a real difference in people’s lives. This NOAA crew may have just set out to do their jobs that morning, but by evening their efforts had truly embodied the mariner’s code — you assist other sailors in times of danger and great need.