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John Spillane
With John Spillane, Rick Smith is a highly trained Air National Guard pararescue jumper who presumably ditches from Dave Ruvola’s helicopter, but his body is never recovered. He leaves behind a wife, Marianne. Rick is so renowned for his survival skills that people have a difficult time believing he could have died; it’s speculated that he most likely drowned after striking the ocean and falling unconscious during the ditching.
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Rick Smith Character Timeline in The Perfect Storm
The timeline below shows where the character Rick Smith appears in The Perfect Storm. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Into the Abyss
...Dave Ruvola, copilot Buschor, flight engineer Jim Mioli, and pararescue jumpers John Spillane and Rick Smith prepare for the attempt. Pararescue jumpers (PJs) train for more than 18 months, and the...
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...engines flames out, so Ruvola yells at his crew to bail out. Ruvola’s copilot, Buschor, Smith and Spillane work up their nerves and jump into the ocean; Mioli initially decides to...
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...aboard and receiving medical treatment, the mission isn’t yet over—they still need to find Rick Smith. Nine aircraft are committed to the search. Smith is one of the greatest rescue swimmers...
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The Dreams of the Dead
...Coast Guard is dealing with two search-and-rescue missions: for the Andrea Gail and for Rick Smith. Just before evening, a plane spots emergency green dye in the water, which was possibly...
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...John Spillane is evacuated by helicopter for an emergency blood transfusion. The search for Rick Smith continues. Even if Smith could survive for several days at sea, he would eventually die...
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...surviving her ordeal on the Eishin Maru. A psychic on Long Island claims that Rick Smith is still alive, prompting a renewal of the search, but Marianne Smith finally accepts the...
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