All language subtitles for coast.guard.mission.critical.s01e04.storm.front.web.h264-trevaskistv_track3_eng

- [Narrator] In this episode

of "Coast Guard
Mission Critical."

In Florida, a day
out on the ocean

turns into a medical emergency,

when a man suffers a
life threatening injury.

(patient groaning)

- He was in a lot of
pain, screaming, yelling.

- It's gonna hurt.

It's gonna hurt,
there's no doubt.

- [Narrator] As a storm
rolls into the Florida Keys,

a sailboat captain is
disabled 20 miles off shore.

- It was horrible.

It was pitch black.

(boat crashing)

- Make sure we don't
get caught between

the sides of the boats.

We don't lose fingers
or break bones.

- [Narrator] And in
the east Pacific Ocean,

a boat found hundreds
of miles off shore

raises reasonable suspicion.

- They doused the
whole boat in fuel.

A lotta fuel.

(dramatic music)

- [Radio] Mayday,
Coast Guard, mayday!

- [Radio] Roger Captain,

we have assets en route
to your position, over.

(dramatic music)

- You, now!

(dramatic music)

- [Coast Guardsman] Get
you out of here, okay?

(dramatic music)

(yelling)

(hand banging)

(dramatic music)

(helicopter blades whirring)

(boat revving)

(dramatic music)

- South Florida
Air Station Miami,

really busy unit.

A lot of training flights.

A lot of law enforcement.

A lot of SAR and medivac.

It's real, real dynamic.

We were out on our
training flight.

A beautiful, beautiful
Saturday morning.

Just out flying around, doing
some approaches to the water,

just some training.

Every day you come to
work, you come on duty,

you don't know what
you're gonna do.

You know you're going
on a training flight,

but that training
flight could turn

real exciting real quick.

- Bon, bon, bon, bon, bon, bon.

All stations, this is
United States Coast Guard

Sector Key West.

The Coast Guard
has received report

of a 39 foot blue Hydra Sport
with a injured person on board

in the vicinity of Islamorada.

All mariners are requested to
keep a sharp lookout, break.

This is United
States Coast Guard

Sector Key West Florida, out.

- Call came in from the
Sector Command Center,

saying that there was somebody
who had taken a bad fall.

- [Radio] 6548 Sector, roger.

Be advised it's a medivac
on a 39 foot Hydra-Sport.

He was in the water and he got
knocked down by the swells.

That's all the
information that we have.

And then, he had ah, he appears
to have a floating rib,

that it's moving
around on his side.

The flight surgeon said
they are concerned.

He does also have a neck injury.

- We knew a Coast Guard
vessel was already on scene.

And a lot of times, the
vessel is the safest way

to transport someone.

Hoisting is dangerous
in and of itself,

even when you have
ideal conditions.

The floating rib
or the broken rib

is definitely a concern,

but when we hear neck injury,

and we think of someone
riding in a boat,

and we think of someone riding
in a boat on choppy seas,

that's something that we
don't wanna mess with.

And so, that's when we think
the helicopter's a good asset

to bring into that
type of situation.

- [Radio] Sector
Key West, Sector 48.

We are on scene.

We're about to commence hoisting
with the recreational vessel

at this time.

- So, once we get on scene,

we do a overflight
of the vessel,

trying to get good references
on for hoisting anything

that could be a possible snag
hazard while we're hoisting.

- We checked out the
boat first of all

and we saw how small it was.

So, our first concern
was where we're gonna put

our litter down to
get the patient up.

- [Narrator] The litter
is a large flat stretcher

used to immobilize survivors
so they can be safely hoisted

to the helicopter.

- [Jared] One of the small boats

from Small Boat Station
Islamorada was on scene already,

which actually aided
us tremendously.

- Anytime we have a
sister station on scene,

those guys are professionals.

Just knowing that
they have the basis

of understanding
how hoisting works,

and tending trail lines,
it's a time saver.

- [Eric] So that's a huge
help when we have crews

from a good station
like Islamorada

we can work with.

- [Narrator] Rescue
swimmer Jonathan Foss

will be lowered down
to execute the hoist.

To guide both the rescue
swimmer and the litter safely,

a trail line is lowered
to the Islamorada crew.

- I'm getting
hoisted to the bow.

The boat is dead in the water.

It's a little more of a

challenging hoist
for our pilots.

- [Radio] Low check, please.

Swimmer's going down.

Swimmer's going down.

Swimmer's going down.

- [Narrator] During hover,

the rotor blades
of the helicopter

move at over 300
revolutions per minute,

producing hurricane-force winds.

- [Radio] Swimmer's
halfway down.

Swimmer's going down.

- As soon as we get
overhead of the vessel,

it tends to blow
them in a direction

that we may or may
not want them to go.

- [Narrator] While
suspended in midair,

the swimmer's life is in
the hands of the pilots,

the flight mech, and the
person holding the trail line.

- Stabilization only works
when you have someone

at the bottom that's pulling

and someone that's capable
of keeping that line taut,

and keeping that line steady,

and being able to keep the
device on its way down stable.

- [Radio] Swimmer's on deck.

Swimmer is
disconnecting from hook.

Swimmer is okay.

- So, when I see
those guys on scene,

and I know that I'm
safer in better hands.

(wind blowing)

- Yeah.

- No.

- All right.

- The patient was
already lying on his back

on a extended lounger cushion,

and the idea was to literally
pick him up with the cushion

and place him in the litter,

but with the tight space,
we had to alter that.

I had to remove some
pads from the litter

to get it next to him,

and we realized that we
were gonna have to roll him

to his side and roll
him onto the litter.

- [Narrator] But with the
piece of the man's rib broken

and floating in his body,

any movement can cause
the fragment to shift,

causing immense pain and
further internal injury.

- Will you help me--

- Roll him over?

- Yeah.

(patient moaning)

What's the, whoa, whoa, whoa?

- Trying to get the blanket out?

- What's wrong?

- [Patient] It hurts.

- I mean, it's gonna hurt.

It's gonna hurt,
there's no doubt.

I know that it's very painful,

but I have to do certain things.

I try to give him enough
heads up of what I was doing

and how long it was gonna take.

We're gonna basically
get him up enough

to push this under him.

All right, ready?

One, two, three.

(patient moaning)

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Off
the Florida coast,

search and rescue teams
from Air Station Miami

and Station Islamorada
are rescuing a man

with a broken, floating rib
and a possible neck injury.

- When we hear neck injury,

that's something that we
don't wanna mess with.

And so, that's when we think
the helicopter's a good asset

to bring into that
type of situation.

- The patient, he was in a lot
of pain, screaming, yelling.

He was not comfortable
whatsoever.

- I have to do certain things.

I try to give him enough
heads up of what I was doing

and how long it was gonna take.

Yeah, we're gonna
basically get him up enough

to push this under him.

- All right, okay.

- All right, ready?

One, two, three.

(patient moaning)

There we go, there we go.

Nice job.

Nice job.

(helicopter blades whirring)

Keep breathing
deep, breathe deep.

So after we strapped
him into the litter,

I made a conscious effort
to splint his chest,

if he did have
any rib fractures.

- Hang in there, brother.

- [Jonathan] I
gotta strap them in.

(patient moaning)

Do you want them strapped in?

Okay, hold them together.

I notice that moving him to
the forward part of the vessel,

where I was hoisted to, was
probably not the best option.

So, using the boat crew that
remained on scene with me

during this evolution,

I knew that I was
gonna depend on them

with helping tend the trail line

while I held the litter
as strong as I can

to keep it from swinging
or getting caught up

under the overhead of
this center console vessel.

- [Radio] Hold your
position here, sir.

- [Radio] Roger.

- [Radio] Now ready for pick up.

Prepare to take the
load, take the load.

(helicopter blades whirring)

Survivor coming up.

They're halfway up.

- [Radio] You're clear back.

That's remove back of that.

- [Radio] Five feet below cabin.

- As the patient
was at the door,

we did hear the patient moaning,

and I would say
extreme discomfort.

- [Radio] Survivor's
right below cabin door.

- I'm trying to be as
careful as possible,

gentle as possible, bringing
him inside the cabin.

- [Radio] Survivor
is at cabin door.

- [Jared] Definitely
don't wanna be

bumping him off of anything,

try to make this a little
bit better for him,

a little bit more
comfortable for him.

- From my perspective,

I could tell this guy
was very uncomfortable,

very much in pain.

My thinking was we need
to get him in the cabin,

put in a position that we
can bring the swimmer up

as quickly as possible,
and then get going.

- Once again, it's great
having the boat crew on board,

on station, to tend
that trail line,

ensure that the rescue
swimmer was nice and stable,

in terms of coming back
up to the helicopter.

(helicopter blades whirring)

- We don't know what his
internal injuries are,

so we wanna get him to the
hospital as quickly as possible,

to a higher level of care,

where the surgeons and the
doctors can take care of him.

- Myself and the flight
mechanic had to slide him

out of the aircraft,
which is a task in itself,

walk him around the helicopter
with its blades turning,

and onto the gurney that
the staff brought out.

- Knowing that you've
picked somebody up,

you have a survivor in the
back of your helicopter,

you've taken him to a hospital,

and now he's alive and
going back to his family

because of what you
and your team did,

that's the greatest
feeling in the world,

and that's exactly
why I became a pilot

and fly for the Coast Guard.

(crew talking in background)

- [Narrator] Meanwhile,
in the east Pacific Ocean,

the Coast Guard Cutter Munro

is on a three month deployment.

Its mission is to
stop elicit contraband

from entering the United States.

Commander Joe Meuse
leads the Coast Guard

Tactical Law Enforcement
Unit, known as TACLET.

- Munro is a new class of
ship for the Coast Guard.

It's a national security cutter.

It primarily is
designed to deploy

significant distance off shore

doing counter drug operations.

The Coast Guard will
request personnel

to go onboard the ship.

In this case, Petty Officer
Bashe and Petty Officer Romo

were handpicked
to go on the Munro

because of their LE
training and capability,

and because of the
nature of the mission,

the high risk nature
of the mission

that the Munro was
gonna be involved in.

- [Narrator] To find
potential targets of interest

in known drug trafficking areas,

the Munro deploys
advanced SUAS drones.

- We're trying to find a
needle in a needle stack.

We can be 700 miles
away from a case,

eight, 900 miles away from case,

and we just start driving.

- The Coast Guard's
been conducting

counter drug operations for
several decades now,

and through that experience,

we've learned what
types of vessels,

which routes they run, and
really what to look out for.

Our authorities are
under USC Title 14,

which allow us to conduct law
enforcement on the high seas.

- It's a Panga-style
boat, two outboards,

and they have
something on board.

- It could be trash or
it could be contraband.

We'll find that out.

- [Narrator] The target
of interest is stationary

in a known drug
trafficking area.

- They're both under the tarp.

I think they were sleeping.

- [Narrator] Suddenly, the
target of interest takes off.

- I have enough RS right
here on the TV screen.

I have no addition
nationality vessel underway

making way international
waters, tarped, two POB.

- We use things like traveling
at a high rate of speed,

northbound direction, the
type of craft they're using

to collect some of that
reasonable suspicion

to then conduct the boarding.

- We need a pursuit
song right now.

- [Crew Member]
They're already set up.

- They already got our pistols?

- Yeah.

- We got boarding kit
and everything on that?

- My job is to
facilitate the boarding.

- When we get on board,

as soon as we grab
them, get them down,

we can restrain them.

Frisk them, then call POSCON.

- Right.

- I would like if we can,

two people to get
on at the same time.

- And then, just as
we're doing that,

call in BISS complete.

We'll knock it out.

- [Narrator] The
Munro crew launches

their helicopter interdiction
tactical squadron,

known as HITRON.

- [Crew] Act ready!

(crew yelling)

- [Narrator] The boarding
team launches in a 26 foot

Over-the-Horizon pursuit boat.

- We encounter a
go-fast vessel at sea,

we're gonna use every
means that we can

to actually
communicate with them.

(helicopter blades whirring)

We'll use calls.

We'll use loud healers,

both from the helicopter,
from the ship.

We'll use radio broadcast.

We'll use every
means that we have.

We're gonna give them the
opportunity to stop and explain,

hey why are they traveling
at a high rate of speed

in the middle of the
ocean, and evading us.

- Este es la Guardia Costera
de los Estados Unidos!

- When those methods fail,

we then shift to higher
levels of use of force

to get them to comply.

(helicopter blades whirring)

- [Radio] All right,
they're non-compliant.

Prepare for warning shots.

- [Radio] Roger that.

Clear forward.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In
international waters,

the U.S. Coast
Guard Cutter Munro,

alongside the
TACLET team members

have spotted a boat
traveling at high speed

in a known drug
trafficking area.

- We'll use radio broadcast.

We'll use every
means that we have.

We're gonna give them the
opportunity to stop and explain,

hey why are they traveling
at a high rate of speed

in the middle of the
ocean, and evading us.

- Este es la Guardia Costera
de los Estados Unidos!

When those methods fail,

we then shift to higher
levels of use of force

to get them to comply.

(helicopter blades whirring)

- [Radio] All right,
they're non-compliant.

Prepare for warning shots.

- [Radio] Roger that.

Clear forward.

(wind blowing)

- [Radio] Let's fire.

- [Radio] Let's
fire, one stitch.

Two stitch.

Three stitch.

Check fire, warning shots
complete, lights out.

- They didn't do what
they were supposed to do,

so we had authorization
to disable their engines.

- Got them on the clear
and they're underway again.

- [Radio] Roger, let's
prepare for disabling fire.

- [Radio] Roger that,
forward disabling fire.

(gun firing)

- Our folks who
do disabling fire,

who shoot out of the helicopter,

have years of training
under their belt,

so they're able to do that
effectively and safely

without endangering the crew.

- [Narrator] The HITRON
sharpshooter

takes out one motor.

- After HITRON does warning
shots disabling fire,

we get the go ahead to
take positive control

while they have cover for us
in case something bad happens.

- [Narrator] The crew
of the suspect vessel

decide to stop running and shut
down their remaining engine.

- Este es la Guardia Costera
de los Estados Unidos!

Manos en tu cabeza!

Manos en tu cabeza!

- Good, good.

- Now, over, over!

Get over!

On your stomach.
- Turn around, turn around!

Swap out?

- Yep, yep.

- Mira aquí.

C'mon up.

- Weapons?

- Pistola?
- Weapons?

- Pistola?
- Pistola?

- No.
- No.

-Sí.

- Something in his pocket.

- Inside out?
- Yup.

- Nada?

- Nope.

Solo mi bailletera

- [radio chatter] O-30, O-30 ice
cube...

- Donde esta el capitán?

Capitán?

- We have positive control.

Doing the BISS.

- Roger.

- When we got on board,

there was like 30 or
40 barrels of fuel.

They doused the
whole boat in fuel.

Is this fresh paint?

A lotta fuel.

They use that fuel sometimes
to cover up their tracks

because they know we have
tools to track to see

if they are, or at one point
had drugs on their vessel.

- Hey, hand the lighter.

Give him the lighter.

Put the lighter on.

- And your cigarettes?

- Two suspects on board,
put them in handcuffs.

Made sure the boat
was safe to be on,

wasn't taking on water.

- [Narrator] While the
boarding team maintains

positive control of
the suspect's vessel,

(crew yelling)

the second team
launches from Munro.

(boat revving)

- Whoo, good job Kate.

Que estabas haciendo ahí afuera?

- He said they have another
partner, they were fishing.

He doesn't know where he's at.

- [Michael] They were fishing?

- Yes.

- Ask him where his
fishing gear is.

Dónde está to equipo de pesca?

Lo estamos buscando

- And what kind of fish?

- They were here to get
the fishing gear and...

Que tipo de pesca?

- No, vinimos a buscar a pareja.

Pero, qué tipo de pescado?

- Vinimos a buscar a pareja.

- They came to get a partner
that he was gonna give them

the fishing gear.

- Where's he at?

-Donde esta tu pareja?
- It doesn't matter.

We got the outboard part done.

- Oh yeah.
Yo no se?

- Yo no lo vi.

- Yeah, of course.

- No puedo encontrarlo.

- Ice cube BO, radio
check, 107 handheld, over.

(radio crackling)

- Ice cube BO again.

Three times asked.

They did not claim
nationality for the vessel.

They are Mexican and they
departed Mexico one day ago.

- Give me three.

You seen the hull?

You seen the hull?

Dude, look at this.

I've never seen this before.

- [Narrator] In
the Florida Keys,

a storm is brewing off shore,

bringing in high
winds and rough seas

that can wreak havoc to even
the most experienced sailors.

- Hey, we got something.

Does not know where he
is, he's disoriented.

- Does he know where he is?

- He has no idea where he is.

He has no power.

- I'm gonna go
ahead and plot this,

and I'll be able to give
you a geographic location.

- [Crew Member] Roger.

- [Narrator] Sector Key
West is able to ping

the captain's cell phone
and plot a search area.

- Coast Guard 33132, this is
Coast Guard Sector Key West.

Sailing vessel is in
position 24-43.830 North.

- [Narrator] The
sailboat is trapped

in four to five foot seas,

20 miles off of
Marathon Key, Florida.

- Nighttime case, so we're
already at the heightened risk.

With that, you're thinking
worst case scenarios.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In
the Florida Keys

a storm is brewing offshore

and a sailboat is
dead in the water.

- [Man On Phone]
I am in trouble.

The engine stopped.

My electronics are down.

I don't know where I am.

(wind howling)

- The boat crew got under way.

Nighttime case, so we're already

at the heightened
risk with that.

- There's a disabled
sailboat 20 miles offshore.

They're getting
beat up pretty bad.

We're gonna go out
there to remove them

off the vessel and bring
'em back to a safe haven.

- We didn't know who or how
many people were on board.

We just know we needed to
get there pretty quickly.

(boat engine roaring)
Yes.

- The weather was horrible.

It was 25 to 30 knots
the entire time.

It did not slow down, which
made it horrible with the waves.

It did not slow down, which
made it horrible with the waves.

- Vessel in distress,
vessel in distress,

this is coast guard
sector Key West.

What is your number
of persons on board?

Over.

- Luckily, we were able to
see the light off the sailboat

when we got close.

- You got a VHF radio?

You go to 22 Alpha?

- It was pretty
nasty conditions.

The captain was down below

and we had to hail out
to him on channel 16

in the loudhailer to get
him to come out and talk

and make contact.

And then we ended up
making contact on 22 Alpha.

- Yeah so right
now we're on scene

with the 38 foot,
disabled sail boat.

Right now we're probably in
a sea state of two to threes,

20 to 25 knot winds.

We're trying to just
get in contact with him

over the VHF radio.

With the wind it's
gonna be easier

to understand him
over the radio.

And then we're gonna
set up a game plan

to extract him off his sailboat

and get him into safe harbor.

- [Narrator] The storm
has completely

disabled the sailboat.

- As the anchor
line's takin' tension

waves are crashing over the bow.

And then as the waves
move towards the stern

the stern's pretty level
with the water as well.

It's not looking good
for the sailboat.

- [Narrator] In the
east Pacific Ocean

the crew of the Coast
Guard Cutter Munro

and the TACLET team members
are in positive control

of a suspicious vessel.

At first glance, the boat
contains no contraband.

But the situation raises
reasonable suspicion.

- When we got on board,

it was like 30 or
40 barrels of fuel.

They doused the
whole boat in fuel.

- What the f--

- Is this fresh paint?

A lot of fuel.

- They use that fuel sometimes

to cover up their
tracks because they know

we have tools to track
to see if they are,

or at one point, had
drugs on their vessel.

- 33.

You seen the hull?
You seen the hull?

Dude, look at this.

I've never seen this before.

Just looking for indicators

that their might be
hidden compartments

inside the hull.

I've never seen
that batwing before

underneath the back of the,

on the stern of the panga,
so that intrigued me.

Just kinda interested
to see what happens.

Lotta fuel on deck.

But we'll see.

- The thing about these pangas
is they all have false decks.

The question is,
is this false deck

between this deck and the keel,

is that full of something?

I skew vo,

all gasoline containers
are full of gasoline, over.

- Okay, roger that.

Right now they've claimed
that this vessel is Mexican.

That enacts an operational
procedure between

the U S and Mexico to say,

Hey guys, can you confirm,
is this your vessel?

Can take a couple hours,

so that's what we're waiting
on scene for right now,

if they come back and determine,

Hey, we can't say that,
that is our vessel.

We'll get permission to
conduct a full early boarding

or full sweep, a more
invasive search of the vessel

to determine if there is in
fact, any contraband onboard.

We a secured their electronics

just for the safety
of the boarding team.

We ask them where their
cell phones, their GPS are

asked him to turn them off.

He said that his cell
phone was in a compartment

and said it was okay
if we went and got it.

Hey,

(whistles)

- How do you say telephone?

- [Boarding Officer] Teléfono.

- Teléfono?

- [Boarding Officer] Señor,
este es tu teléfono?

- Cellphone?

- Que es eso?

- Crystal, crystal meth?

Crystal meth?

- We asked them what they
were, and one guy was like,

that's crystal meth,
and that's cocaine.

- [Narrator] With
growing suspicion,

the team performs tests on
the surface of the boat,

but the results are negative.

It's now been five hours
after boarding the vessel.

When the team gets word
from Mexican authorities,

- Mexico makes a call and says,

Hey, we are denying,
this is our vessel.

And go ahead,

you have permission to
do what we need to do.

- Ice cube VO requests,

10 minimally intrusive
searches throughout the vessel,

due to reasonable suspicion
factors, fresh paint,

tools on board to cut
into fiberglass, Over.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] 20 miles
off the Florida keys,

a storm has completely
disabled a sailboat.

- As the anchor line
stick in tension

waves are crashing over the bow.

And then as the waves
move to towards the stern,

the Sterns pretty level
with the water as well.

It's not looking good
for the sailboat.

- The boat has been disabled,
the engine won't start

- We're going to
set up a game plan,

to extract him off his sailboat

and get them into safe Harbor.

- Sir, would you be opposed
to letting us tow you back,

closer to marathon?

You won't have comms with
anybody once we leave.

- So ,I would at least
like to bring you closer

to where you could
have comms or you know

that way you're not stuck
out here again by yourself.

- Are you going to be able

to get your anchor
up by yourself.

- First plan of attack is
we're going to try to get

the sailboat into a hip tow,

get side by side and
hook it into hip tow.

- I got the boat hook.

- Got it.

- And then get pressure
off the anchor line

and then pull his anchor line in

and then transition
him into a stern tow

and then tow him
back to station.

We're gonna have to watch
out for all of his rigging,

his railing, make sure we
don't get caught between

the sides of the boats.

We don't lose fingers,
lose arms or break bones.

(boats rattling and creaking)

- Is it made?

- The biggest thing
that I have for me is

that I don't want anybody
on my boat to get hurt.

I try to minimize
that at all cost.

(boat engine revs)

- Right side one!

- It was horrible.

It was pitch black.

You couldn't the only
time you ever saw anything

is if you were on the bow,

because of the port starboard
light and his lights.

Other than that, you
didn't see anything.

(boats crash)
(waters splashes)

(metal clanking)

- [Narrator] Rough seas

are making the
maneuver too dangerous.

The coast guard is forced to
disconnect from the sailboat,

and try to abort.

- Go ahead and disconnect?

(wind whooshes)

(gushing water)

- Whoo!

I couldn't hear him at all.

We tried a few things and
nothing seemed to work.

We couldn't get on the
same page with the captain.

We couldn't get on the
same page with the captain.

- I'd leave a good bit out
so when we hook it up

we can leave out a lot of Slack.

We're getting like a lot
of water on the back deck

and its causing
our line to float.

- Give it to them Foltz,
give them the fender.

- Pass, this is the
biggest shackle we got.

- We are going to pass you
a line with a shackle on it

you can put it on your
anchor line and then I could

slide that down your anchor,

and just tow you
from your anchor.

I'll transfer one
of my personnel.

This what's gonna happen.

I'm a pull long side,
you're gonna get over.

- All right.

- There we go ,I'm gonna
go over onto the sailboat

and we're going to hook up.

What's called a de
anchoring shackle.

It's basically a big
shackle that goes

around their anchor line and
it goes down to the anchor.

And when we start taking
tension on the tow line,

it will lift the anchor and,
we'll be able to tow from it

- [Narrator] Crew
member, Nicholas Sweet,

must Now board the sailboat.

The plan is simple.

Get the two vessels close
enough for him to jump.

- It's gonna be a little,

little dangerous with a
given sea state where it's,

we're seeing us getting worse.

we're probably experiencing
four to five foot seas now.

- I was trying to, you know,
time, the waves just right,

to where, when I
came alongside it,

nothing happened, I didn't get
smashed up against the boat

- Him stepping over was ,it
had to be timed perfectly

he had to commit, the moment
he thought it was best.

- My cockswain has to really get
the boat in position quickly,

but effectively , so that I
can do a safe transfer

and not fall between
the boats get crushed

- Heads up on the boat!

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In
Marathon Florida.

A sailboat captain is
in peril off shore,

completely disabled by a storm.

- We're probably experiencing
four to five foot seas. Now

- [Narrator] To bring
the vessel to safety.

The search and rescue crew needs

to attach a tow line
to the sailboat.

So this what's gonna happen

I'm gonna pull along side,
you're gonna get over.

- I'm gonna go over
onto the sailboat

- [Narrator] Crew member,
Nicholas Sweet plans to jump

from one boat to the other.

- I was trying to,
you know, time,

the wave it was just right,

to where when I came alongside
it, nothing happened.

I didn't smash up
against, the boat

- My ccockswain has to

really get the boat
in position quickly,

but effectively so that I
can do a save transfer

and not fall between
the boats get crushed.

- Him stepping over, It
had to be time perfectly.

He had the commit the moment
he thought it was best.

- [Narrator] Sweet waits
for the perfect time to jump

one wrong move, and
he could be crushed

between the two boats.

- Heads up on the boat!

-I'm over!

- Now, I need you
to give him Slack

when you pass that
line over, all right?

- Yeah I got you, I got you.

- You ready on deck Foltz?

- Raedy on deck!

- Roger.

Sweet, you're already on deck.

- As the boat is coming up.

I can see Foltz is ready
to make his first throw

- I have a shot
-Take it

- Heads up on the boat!
-left of the bow.

(radio chatter)

- Got it!

- [Watson] Shackle is connected!

- [Foltz] Shackle is connected!

Sweet, is it clear?

- Its clear.

- Roger

[inaudible]

-Own it homes

-Yup...own it

-Got it?
-Yeah got it

- The vessel is sideways.

- Is that shackle tending
is it sliding down or no?

- I can't see it.

It looks like it.

- I wanna get behind the helm
with the sailboat because

with sailboats, the rudder

will wildly shift back and
forth and they like to kinda

go into the surf, as they,
you know, rock and roll.

- What, the towed vessle?

- Or it was.

Yeah its diving hard nose deep.

- There are a few times
where, we're taking swells

and it's ripping the
helm out of my hands.

- She's turning not straight
on with us pretty well

- Back behind the
helm, I'm having to

really manhandle the helm
and with the sea state,

it's actually making it really
difficult to keep it in line.

So you have to hold
onto that helm.

So the rudders not shifting,
you know, port starboard.

That way, it doesn't create
a dangerous situation

during the tow and potentially
capsize a sailboat.

- Whoa!

She's down, she's nose
down all the way under.

She went like two, three
times all the way in

- If the boat capsized, the,
then you're now hooked up to

a, boat that's being capsized

and can potentially
pull you under,

or, you know,
worst case scenario

is you lose your crewmen
on that sailboat.

- Right know I gotta
keep an eye on him.

So that cockswain can focus
on keeping in contact

with our crew member on
board and get us back safely.

- So as we get in
back into Marathon,

we're literally a few hundred
yards away from shoreline

. It's a lot calmer than
it was 20 miles off shore.

It was calmed right
off shore Marathon.

We anchor them up.

- All lines on board.

Including shackle.

- Now that,we see that
he's ah, in position

and that he's holding he safe.

He has enough electrical power
to make it through the night

on hopefully a towboat will
get out to him in the morning.

And so we're cleared
to come back to station

(boat engines idling)

- [Narrator] Back in the
Eastern Pacific ocean

suspected drug runners
are being detained

while coast guard
law enforcement

confirm their boats nationality.

- Que es esto?

- Crystal ,crystal meth.

- We asked them what they were.

And one guy was like, that's
crystal meth and that's cocaine

- [Narrator] With
growing suspicion.

The team performs tests on
the surface of the boat,

When the team gets word
from Mexican authorities.

- Mexico, makes a
call and says, hey,

we are denying,
this is our vessel.

And go ahead and
you have permission

to do what we need to do.

- Ice cube VO requests, 10
minimally intrusive searches

throughout the vessel due to
reasonable suspicion factors,

fresh paint tools on board
to cut into fiberglass, over.

(drilling noises)

- so far. We have no joy,

(drilling noises)

- Aqua

- We drilled five holes.

All five have been unsuccessful,

two hit water and the other
three just came up empty handed

- Ice cube via Roger.
we've drilled

eight minimally
intrusive searches.

We've checked with
the bore scope.

Nobody on board believes
that there is any contraband,

beneath the primary deck ,over.

- [on radio] Roger

- Sometimes we'll find
vessels running drugs,

or they've already done a
delivery and they've returned it

- You know, they're out here,

hundreds of miles from
the nearest port of land

with no means to get back,

unsafe vessel, no tow
points, no navigation lights,

outfitted for smuggling.

But because we
didn't find anything.

We will take them on board
and we will repatriate them,

through some means with Mexico.

But right now they're
SAR survivors,

search and rescue survivors.

They are not detainees.

They have done nothing
wrong that we could find.

- Overall, the actual
mission of the Munro

payoffs for Bash, payoffs for
Romo was a huge success.

- There is no agency,

better suited than the
United States coast guard

to lead in the maritime domain.

These cutters are the flagship

of the coast guards,
modernized fleet.

- [Narrator] It's the end of
the Munro's 90 day deployment

In total the Munro seized,

over four tons of
drugs in three months,

- when you come back
From a 90 day patrol

and you're like, man, we
got four tons of cocaine

That speaks volumes

- Just their presence, you
know, reduces the amount

of drugs that are gonna
flow into this country.

- We all serve for
different reasons,

but over my 36 plus year career,

I have found that we all
share the same desire

to take care of our shipmates,
protect our families

and safeguard the
American dream.