Six-member ferry crew honored by NCDOT, U.S. Coast Guard for heroic January rescue

At a dual ceremony held at the Hatteras Village ferry docks on Monday, May 20, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Ferry Division and the U.S. Coast Guard honored a six-member ferry crew for their heroic January rescue of two men and their dog.

On January 12, Captain Bill Davis, Chief Engineer Robbie Meekins, Oiler Amanda Przygodzinski, and crew members Gerald Huneycutt, David Butler, and Calob Fulford were onboard the M/V Hatteras, tying up the ferry at the Ocracoke-South Dock Terminal, when they noticed two men hanging onto an overturned boat, and swiftly floating out of Hatteras Inlet and toward the Atlantic Ocean.

“The weather conditions were worsening, the current was strong, and the two gentlemen were getting sucked out to sea,” said Ferry Division Director John “Jed” Dixon at Monday’s ceremony. “At that time, Captain Bill Davis sounded the general alarm, and the crew snapped into action.”

The M/V Hatteras crew immediately launched a rescue boat and went to the scene, where they found the two men clinging to the side of the vessel, and a dog trapped underneath.

The two men had waders on, and were having trouble staying afloat. The strong current combined with the frigid 52-degree water temperature made the situation critical.

Thankfully, and due solely to the crew’s rapid response and training, it didn’t take long for the team to pull both victims and the dog out of the water, and shuttle them back to land, with no injuries reported.

“It was just a tremendous day, and all the training that these guys do every week, it just goes to show you how important it is,” said Dixon. “You never know when you’re going to need it, until you do.”

In addition to the NCDOT’s Extra Mile Award, Corrie Sergent, Deputy Commander for U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina, also presented the crew with the Certificate of Merit and Recognition of Notable Services that have Assisted Greatly in Furthering the Aims and Functions of the Coast Guard.

“This could have ended very differently,” said Commander Sergent. “Without the quick action that this group took, I could have been talking to some families, telling them that their loved ones weren’t coming home, because it does take time for the Coast Guard to get out there, and launch, and be able to get on scene, and especially in weather like [that day.]”

“It makes our job a lot easier not having to tell families bad news,” she added. “Instead, we get to celebrate with them when their loved ones – and their pets – come home.”

Multiple agencies and community members were in attendance at the ceremony, including the majority of Coast Guardsmen from Station Hatteras Inlet.

The six ferry crew members received rounds of applause from the large group of spectators as they received their awards from the Ferry Division and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“It’s an outstanding day for the Ferry Division,” said Dixon, “and thank God that the [M/V Hatteras] crew was there… just a very fortunate set of events that allowed the crew to perform this rescue.”