Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Harrity saving the world
Chip sends us a link to the story of Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Harrity, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer who single-handedly rescued four stranded fisherman off the coast of Cape Blanco, Oregon;
Harrity individually pulled each person more than 250 yards in 57-degree water from their life raft to shore. The call came in at 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, stating they were taking on water and had lost power.
The vessel then ran aground, at which time the crew donned survival suits and abandoned ship into their life raft.
[…]
The aircrew arrived on scene at 2:49 a.m. and lowered Harrity into the water next to the life raft. Shortly after, the aircrew reported experiencing mechanical issues with the helicopter and was unable to safely complete additional hoists.
Watch the rescue in the DVIDS video;
Category: Coast Guard
He did in in the DARK. In the middle of the NIGHT!!
/burrrr. Gives me the willies just thinking about it. GIANT BALLS!!
Must be hard to swim with that much brass…
Well done, PO2 Harrity. Damn well done.
Kudos.
I second that.
i apologize I accidentally hit report comment with my thumb while scrolling through on my phone. Please ignore. Thanks
Durnitall. This was an impressive story when we heard it this morning on the radio. Now discovering that the whole thing occurred in the dark?
Wow.
As a former Navy helo rescue swimmer, you’ve done us proud, Petty Officer Harrity! Great job!
I have been watching a relaity show called “Land Rush”. One of the main characters in it goes by the name of Jim Jones and self identifies as a Navy Vet. He is always wearing a “Rescue Swimmer” hat as seen here: http://img.poptower.com/pic-152027/jim-jones-land-rush.jpg?d=1024
Thanks to my many
wastedhours at TAH, there is some deflection on my skepticism needle. Was wondering if you or anyone else here has seen this guy and his hat on the show.You just reminded me that Mike Whiteside and Robert Kulp, the two leads in one of my favorite reality shows (Salvage Dawgs) both served in the Navy. It’s not something that they make a big deal of; there was an episode in which they were salvaging materials from some old boats, and they mentioned that both had served. No claims of glory or anything.
Looks like an Air Medal miniature he’s sporting, too.
Let me put it this way. I was a Navy helo rescue swimmer, and I don’t wear a hat that says so.
I can not even imagine what it takes to be able to do that kind of job. I am very much a land animal, and I stay as far away from deep water as possible. I’m just glad there are men out there like Petty Officer Harrity.
(My apologies if I didn’t use the proper rank/title. I don’t know much about the Navy ranks, so feel free to correct me if I said that wrong.)
You did fine, PN.
I really enjoy these Awsome story’s, thank you TAH….
Stud status: confirmed
So how soon till we see a fake rescue swimmer that can’t even swim?
Damned well done Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Harrity. Thank you for being there with your courage and HUGE balls.
57 degree water is COLD!!!
I’ve seen the Alaska CG show, not to mention the local CG unit. I know what they face, especially in winter, and they are truly wearing clangers in their shorts. (That includes the women CGers.)
Well done!
BZ Petty Officer Harrity!!
I’m sure if you asked him, he’d tell you he was just doing his job.
I couldn’t move my fat arse 250 ft in the water, yet he did it 4 friggin’ times, hauling prolly twice his weight.
Way to go young man.
Stainless Steel Bull balls on this guy for certain.
57 degree water is cold, hypothermia can set in after about ten minutes in the water.
This kid is yet another shining example of the finest this country has to offer.
I stop and think about some of the guys I served with right after Vietnam and wonder if any of us could have done what he did.
DAMN..DOUBLE DAMN. DARK, HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND HE’S MY HERO FOR THE WEEK. JOB WELL DONE PETTY OFFICER HERTITY
HERRITY…