Community Corner

New London-Based Cutter Rescues Man

Coast Guard saves Canadian man adrift on ice floe

The crew of a New London-based Coast Guard cutter assigned to icebreaking duties in the Great Lakes saved a Canadian man adrift on an ice floe on Wednesday.

Jim Turton, of Colchester, Ontario was plucked from a piece of ice in Lake Erie about four miles southwest of that city, according to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard. Turton turned 45 on Wednesday.

The rescue took place at 8:30 a.m. after the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario contacted the Coast Guard's Ninth District Command Center on Tuesday night to ask for help in finding four snowmobilers who reportedly fell through the ice near Colchester. The other three snowmobilers were able to get to shore, but Turton "climbed onto a piece of ice roughly the size of a football field" and began floating out onto the lake.

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The 140-foot icebreaking tug Morro Bay, which is temporarily assigned to the Great Lakes, was about 30 minutes away from the search area and was sent there after poor weather conditions prevented a helicopter from taking off. Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Lake, who has been a crew member since April, helped Turton climb up a rope ladder onto the ship. Lake and another crew member had recently attended ice rescue training at the Coast Guard's Ice Capabilities Center of Excellence in Essexville, Mich.

"I joined the Coast Guard to make a difference," said Lake, who is originally from Berkeley Springs, W. Va. "It feels good to save a life."

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"Although some may not directly associate the Coast Guard's ice breaking fleet with our service's search and rescue mission, this successful rescue proves that, at the heart of all Coast Guardsmen, we are lifesavers," said Rear Admiral Michael N. Parks, who commands the Ninth Coast Guard District.

Parks commended the crew as well as other agencies participating in the search and rescue. These included the Ontario Provincial Police, local Canadian fire departments, and the Canadian Coast Guard ship Samuel Risley, which was also launched to look for Turton. The Morro Bay transferred Turton to this ship to bring him back to Canada. 


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