The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/605550
www.sea-technology.com November 2015 / st 29 O n October 5, 2014 three airmen working at the Kadena Air Force Base were swept into the sea dur- ing Typhoon Phanfone, a Category Four storm with winds reaching 150 mph and estimated 15-to-30-ft.-high waves. A joint rescue mission, launched by the 31st Air Rescue Squadron sta- tioned at Kadena, the 11th Division of the Japanese Coast Guard, and the local fre department, began shortly thereafter, deploying two GARCs and six personal watercraft (PWCs). "The waves were so high and mas- sive," frefghter Kakuei Oshiro told Stars and Stripes. Within hours, the PWCs either re- turned to port, unable to handle the waves and the breaking surf, or were disabled, with water jets clogged by foating debris. The GARC, on the other hand, was in its element. It survived a particularly large wave that disabled one of the PWCs, and went on to rescue the PWC's operator. Two GARCs worked for three days in up to 30-ft. waves, with a payload of two to three U.S. Air Force (USAF) Pararescue specialists (known as PJs) on each GARC. The boats only required refueling once during each 12-hr. day at sea. Rugged Design The 3.8-m GARC (Greenough Advanced Rescue Craft) features the maneuverability of a PWC and the stability, payload capacity and range of a rigid hulled infatable boat (RHIB). The 155-hp. Weber engine has enough power to get the boat on a plane with three passengers. Designers George Greenough and Peter Maguire created the cathedral hull shape especially for stability and for cutting through waves in breaking-surf conditions, so the GARC can be launched through breaking surf. Shallow water is not a problem—it excels in less than a foot of water and the composite hull in- cludes a Kevlar layer, giving it abrasion resistance for rocky river conditions or fooded areas. The jet boat's open tran- som is ideal for handling both conscious and unconscious survivors; an imperative for all waterborne search and res- cue operations. For victims of hypothermia, the GARC in- cludes a warm-water hose attached to the engine. History The GARC has had an interesting history. Greenough, well-known for his surfboard designs, has been designing and building surf rescue boats for nearly 30 years. The im- petus to update Greenough's famous rescue boat came from Maguire, a former lifeguard who wanted a rescue platform that was more stable and protected the crew from the surf better than a PWC. When the Air Force's Guardian Angel weapons system team of USAF PJs, Combat Rescue offcers and professional test engineers tested the GARC for two days in the surf zone at Moss Landing, California, in Sep- tember 2008, they decided to try dropping the craft from an airplane. GARC proved to be their ideal boat for at-sea rescue operations. USAF took delivery of the frst two test GARCs in January of 2011, fnding the GARC to be a fully integrated alter- GARC Military Rescue Boat Versatile Rescue Craft for Shallow and Open-Ocean Missions By Elizabeth Hines • James Cerulli The GARC being air-dropped out of a C-130 plane during a training exercise.