Coast Guard conducts challenging helicopter maneuver during training day on Lake Michigan

The U.S. Coast Guard and Great Lakes mariners executed a training day on Lake Michigan this week.

The crew of Interlake Steamship Company’s M/V James R. Barker received a visit from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City for a joint training operation.

The Interlake Steamship Company posted photos and videos of a Coast Guard crew executing “a precision maneuver to land a rescue swimmer” onto the ship’s aft cabins, which is a “rare and challenging feat.”

During the training operation, the team also worked on lowering a rescue basket onto the deck.

“We welcomed the rescue swimmer into the pilothouse,” Mate Logan Vasicek said when discussing the highlight of the training day. “He asked about the Barker Bark, so we let him blow the whistle, which the whole helicopter crew had been hoping to hear!”

--> Click here to see photos and videos from this training operation.