Portsmouth Tug Captain and Crew Rescue Fishing Boat off Cape Ann

The crew of the Viking tugboat had a busy Sunday morning. Under the direction of Portsmouth resident Capt. Mike Littlefield, they helped rescue a fishing vessel during a gale. The vessel, the Meridian out of New Bedford, MA, was in distress off Cape Ann in the nothern section of Massachusetts Bay.

“At approximately 9:30, the tug Viking received a distress call from the F/V (fishing vessel) Meridian in position 42 degrees, 48 minutes north, 070 degrees, 31 minutes west,” wrote Littlefield in an e-mail. “The Viking was five miles northeast of the Meridian when the USCG [U.S. Coast Guard] initiated a call on Channel 16 to ask if anyone is in the vicinity of the F/V to assist as possible.”

Littlefield quickly sprung to action and woke his entire crew on the Viking, which is owned by K-Sea Transportation.

“At the time, the weather was east winds 25-30 knots and seas were 8-10 feet,” Littlefield continued. “I asked the AB on watch, William Greene, to wake all crew members and muster in wheel house to prepare and assist the stricken vessel.”

Littlefield and Chief Mate John Cardillo maneuvered the Viking tug within 500 feet of the fishing vessel. When close enough, the crew then attempted to attach a rope line using a “throwing gun.”

“The first two attempts went off course and the third was a dud,” Littlefield wrote. "After John and I maneuvered the vessel for the third time, we got the fourth and last rocket to go over their bow. The crew of the fishing vessel then proceeded to haul in the hawser and secure it to their bow bit. We were underway with the vessel in tow at 11:30.”

The weather was not in the crews’ favor, according to Littlefield. The weather increased to 25- to 30-knot seas with waves building to 8 to 12 feet.

“We proceeded at a slow clip towards Boston with the fishing vessel in tow checking in with the office and USCG every 30 minutes,” Littlefield wrote. “At 14:25, we transferred the fishing vessel to the USCG off of Gloucester, MA, and proceeded to our next port of call.”

Deck crew members of the Viking included Jonathan Durant, Derrick Donegan, Travis Gross, William Greene of Tiverton, James Mason and Carrie Bettencourt, who all played a major role in the events throughout the day.  

“The crew went above and beyond the training they have received in the past, helped initiate the safety of each other on deck while conducting the rescue operation to the fishing vessel,” wrote Littlefield.

“This proves that most marine incidents happen at the worst times and we need to be prepared, level headed and make the correct responses to the situation. The crew proved to not only me, but to themselves, they have what it takes to do the job safely and effectively.”