At 3 am Sunday morning, the 203-foot Seattle-based Alaska Ranger lost rudder control and began to sink while fishing for mackerel in the Bering Sea.  The water was 35 degrees, waves were 20 feet high, snow obscured their view, and the wailing wind made the air temperature feel like 24 degrees below zero. 

Mayday calls were issued to the U.S. Coast Guard, who arrived at the scene by helicopter three hours later to find most of the men in the water, floating alone and fighting for life by way of the strobe lights connected to their life vests.  

The helicopter crew began slowly lifting people out of the water one at a time while a neighboring fishing vessel worked to get the few men able to make it into a raft out of harm's way. 

Despite terrible conditions, 42 of the 47 people were saved.