On October 21, 1969, the Coast Guard flew its most daring mission yet: a flight straight into the heart of a hurricane. A 67-foot wooden schooner, the Dell G, found itself dead in Hurricane Laurie's eye, 200 miles south of the Mississippi River. The captain's mayday crackled into Mobile, Alabama: their engine had failed, and water was pouring in. In response, LTJG Tom Beard and his crew climbed aboard Coast Guard Albatross #2125. Beard plotted a desperate route: they would penetrate Laurie's eyewall to reach the stranded fishermen.
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Into the storm: The Albatross raced west of Laurie's eyewall, tailwinds boosting ground speed past 200 knots. As they closed, 50-knot gusts whipped the Gulf into 10–15-foot swells. Inside the cockpit, the plane tossed like a boat in a churning foam. Beard gripped the controls through driving rain and flashes of lightning, threading his way toward the eye.
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Calm eye: Suddenly, the chaos subsided. The clouds opened over a glassy green sea. Below lay the calm eye; the fishing vessel bobbed gently. The rescue swimmers slid from the plane into the eerie calm. They fought the remaining waves, attaching lines and helping all seven crew members aboard. The men of the Dell G, drenched but alive, stepped into the dry cabin of the Albatross.
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Climb out: With survivors and salvage aboard, Beard turned back into the hurricane's wall. The Albatross throttled full power. Now on its flanks, the Great Circle's raging western wall screamed around them. The heavy seaplane fought to break free; engines laboring, it finally surged out of the trough and climbed into turbulent skies.
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Legend in the making: Remarkably, all hands were safe. This mission was called the finest storm rescue ever flown. It became legend among Coast Guard aviators – proof that the Grumman Albatross was more than an aircraft, it was a promise of hope. To the designers of Albatross 2.0, Laurie's eye remains a guiding star: no storm is too fierce when people's lives are on the line.