On Sept. 26, 2013, a DOT ferry crew, including two SEANC members, saved the lives of a couple from Black Mountain whose sailboat had capsized in the rough seas off of Ocracoke Island.

On Monday in a ceremony in Raleigh, the seven state employees, including Chief Engineer Gerry Gilliken and Oiler David Paul Styron, both of District 67, were honored with the Governor's Award of Excellence in Safety and Heroism for their actions above and beyond the call of duty.

Capt. Steve Goodwin explained on that day last September, the crew was returning to Cedar Island on the last of its two five-hour round trips between it and Ocracoke Island when they heard a distress call come in over the radio. Looing back, he said, he saw the sailboat they had just passed had capsized and he hit the ship’s alarm, alerting the rest of the crew.

“I was down in the engine room when the alarm sounded,” Styron said. “We do man-overboard drills every week and so we were prepared for something like that. Just this time it wasn’t a drill. It was the real deal.

“Everyone worked together. It was a seven-man operation. No one or two could have done it alone. We all did our jobs and fit together just like a puzzle.”

But that didn’t mean the operation was without its risks. Goodwin explained that the wind had reached about 35 miles-per-hour, the waves were four to five feet and it was getting dark. To top it off, they were launching a two-man, 16-foot rescue boat into conditions that had just flipped a 36-footer.

“I was very concerned,” Goodwin said. “I didn’t want to end up with four people in the water instead of two, so I asked the crew if they were prepared to do this and they all said, ‘Yes.’ So I said, ‘Let’s go.’

“It was tough. It was at night, the seas were rough and you’re trying to find two people in the water with just their heads sticking out.”

That’s where Styron and Gilliken came in. The two men were on the deck with Goodwin, helping guide him near the couple, holding the lines to the rescue boat and then helping get everybody back on board the ferry.

Fortunately, Goodwin said, they were able to rescue the couple, John and Renee Hoffman of Black Mountain, and get them warmed up before they suffered any ill effects.

“We’ll render assistance to anyone who needs it,” Goodwin said. “I’m happy that we were able to do it and I’m happy that my crew was recognized. They deserve all the credit.”

Of course, Styron said, they didn’t set out to be honored as heroes – just to do their jobs.                          

“We just did what needed to be done,” he said. “We didn’t do it for any kind of recognition. But it was appreciated.”