Koerner's squid boat, equipped with 1,000 watt lights, helped illuminate the debris field

February 2, 2000
Web posted at: 11:51 p.m. EST (0451 GMT)

In this story: Fishing lights trained on debris field 'Everybody pulled together' RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Correspondent Jim Moret

PORT HUENEME, California (CNN) -- In the early hours after the crash of Flight 261 authorities relied heavily on the crews of private boats to help with the search and rescue effort. The volunteers were primarily fishermen who voluntarily toiled for hours without sleep in far from ideal conditions.

The 10-to-12 foot swells and the stench of jet fuel could be overwhelming for even life-long fishermen. But from squid boats to sport fishing boats, 17 private vessels aided in the search and rescue mission after the jet plummeted into the Pacific Ocean.

Thirty-five miles away from the crash site, the father and son crew of the Squid-A-Lot heard the radio call.

"The Coast Guard was asking for assistance, light boat assistance," recalled boat captain Brian Koerner.

Fishing lights trained on debris field

	VIDEO
CNN's Jim Moret reports on the vital role that private boats and volunteers played in the search for survivors from the Alaska Airlines crash. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

"Lit up a lot of ground, a lot of water -- about 10 boats lit up a lot of area," said Bruce Koerner.

Recreational scuba divers aboard the 25-foot Wannabe spent 14 hours at sea -- with food, blankets and dry clothes aboard for any possible survivors.

"We really didn't think about the whole overall picture because, I think, if you thought of the whole overall picture you would just sit in your boat and cry," said scuba diver Ed Morlan.

"We were very hopeful we would find somebody, but that didn't turn out," said diver Andy Ecsedy. "The size of the pieces (of wreckage) and the amount of the destruction was making it real clear that this isn't going to have a happy ending."

The sport fishing boat Estrella was one of several boats chartered by the media. But even its four-person crew pulled 200-pounds of wreckage out of the sea.

Coast Guard officials say private boats can be instrumental in the minutes immediately following a plane crash at sea.

'Everybody pulled together'

All the commercial fisherman out here -- it's a real tight knit group," said Ecsedy. "Everybody just kind of pulled together and did what needed to be done."

But the rescue effort became a salvage operation as fishermen scooped pieces of the plane and personal items out of the ocean.

"This is something you'll never forget. It'll stick in your head for a long time. You're not going to forget it," said sport fisherman Rick Purschell.

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