Three Local 21 members were honored last month by the Port of Longview for rescuing a mariner who fell overboard into the Columbia River on December 31.

The incident happened at 11 o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Eve day when it was still bitter cold at Berth 2 where the vessel “Sadlers Wells” was being loaded with soda ash.

Local 21 members Kelly Palmer and Laik Kell were about to check the choke feeder controlling the flow of soda ash filling the ship when they noticed panic spreading among the vessel crewmembers who were frantically pointing down into the water.

The loud noise of the loading machinery made it difficult to hear, but a co-worker told Palmer that somebody had apparently fallen into the river. Palmer and Kell raced down a ramp to the river’s edge where they met co-worker Mikel Ford.

The three began searching, but it was hard to see anyone floating among the mass of river debris that collected among the pilings in an area shaded by the ship. They spotted a hard hat but still couldn’t find anyone nearby. After more searching, they discovered a man who was soaking wet, shivering and clinging to one of the pilings. He wasn’t wearing a lifejacket, spoke little English and declined to provide his name, but the three longshoremen maneuvered over obstacles that helped him reach the shore.

They later learned that the man was the ship’s first officer who had been working on the vessel deck when he slipped on some ice that sent him falling 20 feet into the frigid river.

The ceremony to thank the three longshore workers at the Port Commission meeting took place on January 26. Kelly Palmer and Mikel Ford were able to attend while Laik Kell had to remain on the job. Commissioners presented the men with certificates and thanked them for their efforts.