In a heroic effort, the Munro's crew of 171, most of whom were in their first enlistment, rescued 45 of those 47 crew members from heavy seas and 32-degree water.
The ship, 100 nautical miles from Munro's position, had 47 crew members on board, caught fire and was taking on water. In one of its highest-profile rescues, Munro responded to the sinking of the factory fishing vessel Alaska Ranger on Easter Sunday 2008.
The Munro's accomplishments over the years include the search and recovery efforts for the passengers of Korean Airlines Flight 007, shot down by a Soviet aircraft in 1983 the rescue of all 27 crewmembers of the container ship Hyundai Seattle as it burned and lost power in heavy seas in December 1994 and the interception and seizure of dozens of vessels conducting illegal fishing and smuggling drugs and migrants.