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Vella Gulf Rescues Dutch Mariners in North Atlantic

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060526-32
Release Date: 5/26/2006 2:37:00 PM

By Journalist 3rd Class Davis J. Anderson, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) rescued two Dutch mariners from a sinking sailboat approximately 1,300 miles east of Boston May 22.

Underway in the North Atlantic, Vella Gulf received a distress call at about 10:30 a.m. from a merchant vessel asking them to assist in the rescue.

The two men aboard the vessel, Robert Dirven, 47, the owner, and Johan Aarden, 50, had been battling the elements and a badly damaged sailboat for three days before Vella Gulf arrived on scene.

With precious little time to waste, Vella Gulf set speed and headed back nearly 62 miles to aid the troubled boat.

“There were between 10 and 20-foot (high) seas and between 20 and 25-knot winds; the boat was clearly in trouble,” said Capt. Steven Davis Jr., commanding officer of Vella Gulf, via satellite phone, May 23. “Occasionally the swells were big enough the sailboat would physically disappear on the other side of the wave - we couldn’t even see its masts.”

After assessing the situation, Vella Gulf organized a rescue plan that called for the ship to launch their Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB), despite the brutal conditions.

“Our two Dutch shipmates were hanging on for dear life,” said Davis. “They had a rough three days.”

The crew of Vella Gulf was prepared for this type of operation because of extensive training.

“Our training and the amount of time we spend doing exercises allows us to do what we did without getting hurt,” said Ensign Greg Page, boat officer for the RHIB. “The situation called for us to render assistance, and that’s what we did.”

Driving the RHIB in the rough weather presented a few challenges for its coxswain, Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class (SW) Aaron Haight, tasked with negotiating the fierce conditions to get the RHIB close enough for the rescue.

“The most difficult thing was dealing with the swells and making sure the boat was facing the proper way,” said Haight.

Regardless of the sea state, said Davis, he knew his crew would rise to the occasion and be able to rescue the two Sailors.

“One of the unwritten laws of the sea is always do what you can to save mariners in distress,” said Davis. “We had to do what we could to save these guys and we were willing to take some risks to do that.”

The entire evolution, said Davis, from the time they received the call for help until the Dutch Sailors were safely aboard, took about four hours.

Dirven and Aarden, tired and shaken, were very grateful for Vella Gulf’s assistance.

“The rescue was very perfect,” said Dirven.

A short time later, a second crew returned to the sinking vessel to retrieve some personal effects and electronics.

“We talked with (Capt.) Dirven and the decision was made to scuttle the vessel so that it did not become a hazard to navigation to other vessels transiting the area,” said Davis.

After boarding Vella Gulf, the two Dutch mariners were checked out by the ship’s corpsman and given a clean bill of health.

Vella Gulf departed Naval Station Norfolk May 17 and was in the area of the sinking vessel on its way to Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2006.