The director of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology at Charleston and several students witnessed the rescue of a fisherman during a Mayday call off the Central Oregon Coast August 28th. According to reports, Craig Young was leading the UO research effort on board the 177-foot long Oceanus, a marine research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by Oregon State University in partnership with the University of Oregon. Young’s and his students intended to catalog the diversity of invertebrates on the Oregon Continental Shelf when the call for help was received. The ship quickly responded and located Frank Akers in a small life raft. He had to abandon his fishing vessel the Lanola after it began taking on water and sank. Young and his students were reportedly impressed with the quick and organized action of the Oceanus during the rescue at sea.
