By Lee Jon-young

 

The reporter met with Chief Jung Young-jin of Busan Coast Guard and interviewed him about his experiences with the maritime police.  This article is based on an interview with Chief Jung Young-jin of the Busan Coast Guard about his experience in rescuing a coastal patrol ship carrying 25 police officers. — Ed.

 

Chief Jung Young-jin said, "I joined the marine police directly and spent many years at sea for 34 years. First of all, I would like to thank my wife and children for believing in me and following me all these years. I could have neglected my family because I spent more time at sea than at home, but I was able to come to this point because I had family members who followed me like a lighthouse that silently watched over ships. 

 

I would like to tell about my experiences as the chief of the Busan Cost Guard, the chief of the Mokpo Coast Guard, and the captain of the coastal patrol ship 5002.

 

On October 28, 1989, I joined the Coast Guard as a patrolman. It took me 29 years to get promoted from constable to commander, and the longest rank I held was constable. In my defense, I was 27 years old at the time, unsure of my job and wondering about my aptitude.

 

However, this late promotion was by no means a negative factor in my life in the Coast Guard. I was able to understand the plight of my colleagues who missed out on promotion, and I think it gave me a sense of inclusiveness that served me well as I worked my way up to commander. 

 

 

 My most memorable incident in the Coast Guard was when I was serving as the chief of the Mokpo Coast Guard, and I would like to include two prayers and a miracle that happened while handling the situation. 

 

"Thank you, God, for allowing me to rescue this many people (48)."

 

 On Dec. 29, 2020, the west coast was experiencing typical winter weather, with fierce snowstorms and high waves blocking sea routes and icy roads causing some vehicles to slip and pile up. I was reading a book in my study when my phone rang at around 10 p.m., breaking the silence. My cell phone screen showed the command center, and I instinctively thought, "There's been an accident." I answered the call.

 

In a somewhat hoarse voice, the head of the situation room said, "A tugboat (support ship) that was entering Mokpo through bad weather north of Jaeun Island, Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, was towing a pilot ship (target ship), but the tug line broke due to high waves and wind, and the tug line was wrapped around the tug screw, and the pilot ship (target ship) was drifting". 
 

And, he said, "The secondary ship (target ship) was carrying 23 people, including deep-sea diving experts, including the underwater representative of Daesang Ocean, and was carrying out underwater work in Incheon, but the accident occurred while evacuating to Mokpo due to poor weather conditions."

 

At the time of the accident, it was not appropriate to bring large ships and helicopters to the coast due to the blustery weather in the accident area, so the on-duty ship No. 513 and the tugboat No. 8, which can easily maneuver, were sent to the scene.

 

First of all, it was necessary to anchor the drifting vessel (target ship), so we used our own anchor. After about an hour, the anchor chain broke due to high waves and strong winds, and the vessel drifted again, pushing into the channel at a speed of 4 knots. 

The captain of the No. 513 fired his line throwing gun to try and catch the vessel, but the strong winds and fast moving vessel were not enough to catch the target.

A short time later, the watch officer reported that the vessel was moving toward the reef and was 1,000 meters from the reef. The commander of the No. 513 made several attempts to catch the vessel, but was unsuccessful and reported that the distance to the reef was 800 meters.

The officers, including myself, were shaking in our boots, unable to find a way around this danger. "If we collided with the reef, the secondary ship (the target ship) with 23 deep-sea diving experts on board would be shattered, and the lives of the people on board were not guaranteed."

 

In my panic, I prayed the first prayer to God. "Please rescue the 23 people on board the secondary ship (target ship)."

 

There was a commotion around me as I heard a report of 500 meters from the reef. A miracle had happened. A laver farm appeared in front of the secondary ship (target ship) and grabbed the secondary ship (target ship), and the speed was controlled and stopped. At that moment, the ship No. 513 went inside, grabbed the vessel and redirected it from the direction of the reef to a safe position, and handed it over to the tug ship No. 8, which was waiting to arrive nearby. 
 

 "Thank God for answering my prayer."

 

However, as the patrol ship No. 513 was moving inside the laver farm to catch the target vessel, the fishing nets were sucked into the water jets and the four engines were switched off. Soon after, the vessel started to drift inside the channel, so I ordered the captain to cast anchor immediately.

 

After some time, due to wind and current, the captain panicked and weighed anchor. As soon as the anchor left the bottom, the ship No. 513 began to push towards the Angel Bridge.

 

The ship No. 305, sent as a contingency, tried to catch the No. 513 but continued to fail.

The No. 513, carrying 25 police officers, had no way to escape the danger on its own with its engines out of commission. It had a 50-meter fishing net hanging from its stern and was trailing behind.  

Until then, I hadn't given much thought to the nets behind the ship. Then, the No. 513 began to approach the Angel Bridge.

 

I prayed to God once again.

 

"Please save the patrol ship No. 513 carrying 25 police officers." After a while, the No. 513 collided with the pier of the Angel Bridge with a bang and broke free, heading straight for the reef, and the 50-meter fishing net following behind caught the bridge fender and caught the No. 513, saving the 25 crew members.  

 

"Thank God".