Coast Guard on the go with rescues and searches along East Coast over hot July weekend
Coast Guard crews and a good Samaritan rescued two people 40 miles south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, July 21, 2017, after their boat sank. At 9:39 a.m., watchstanders at the first Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert from an EPIRB onboard a 35-foot center console boat, 40 miles off of the coast of Sandy Hook. U.S Coast Guard photo by Seaman Dalton Stegent.
NEW YORK – Coast Guard crews and a good Samaritan rescued two people 40 miles south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Friday after their boat sank.
At 9:39 a.m. watchstanders at the first Coast Guard District command center received a distress alert from an EPIRB onboard a 35-foot center console boat, 40 miles off of the coast of Sandy Hook.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City launched and arrived on scene but was unable to deploy a rescue swimmer in the water due to visible sharks in the area.
A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 aircraft was diverted to the area of the signal and located two people in a life raft near an overturned boat and its debris.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City launched and arrived on scene but was unable to deploy a rescue swimmer in the water due to visible sharks in the area.
A good Samaritan aboard a fishing vessel nearby rescued the two people from the raft.
A Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook boat-crew arrived on scene and safely transported the two people over to the 47-foot Motor Lifeboat and were brought back to Sandy Hook.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the vessel sinking is unknown.
A 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, rescues five people from the water after their boat capsized eight miles south of Topsail Island, North Carolina, July 23, 2017. Three of the five people were wearing life jackets. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Elizabeth City/Released)
WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Coast Guard rescued five people from the water eight miles off Topsail Island, North Carolina, Sunday.
Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders in Wilmington received a mayday call on Channel 16 at9:53 a.m. that a 19-foot boat was taking on water with five people aboard. Watchstanders then received a Pender County 911 call at 9:55 a.m. that the boat had capsized and five people were in the water.
Three of the people were wearing life jackets; two were sitting on the capsized boat’s hull.
Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, diverted an already-airborne HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and launched 29-foot Response Boat-Small and 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crews from Station Wrightsville Beach at about 10:00 a.m.
The Hercules crew arrived on scene at 10:35 a.m. and dropped rescue gear and a flare to mark the vessel’s position.
The RB-S crew arrived on the scene, pulled all five people from the water and transferred the people to the RB-M by 11:15 a.m.
The RB-M crew transported the people back to the station and a waiting EMS team by about 12:40 p.m.
Sea Tow Wrightsville Beach salvaged the capsized vessel.
“This is a perfect example of how vital it is to not only make sure you have life jackets on board but also that they are readily available in case of an emergency,” said Stephen Sawyer, Sector North Carolina command duty officer for the case. “This situation also illustrates how important it is to work closely with our local partners. Pender County 911 relayed critical information to us about the vessel’s position that helped us reach the people quickly.”
Coast Guard tows boat taking on water near Atlantic City
PHILADELPHIA-The Coast Guard helped dewater and tow a boat carrying six people near Atlantic City today.
A good Samaritan with TowBoatUS notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Atlantic City that a 17-foot recreational boat was taking on water in the Intracoastal Waterway north of Atlantic City at about 6 p.m.
Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City launched a 29-foot response boat-small and were on-scene at about 6:10 p.m.
The Coast Guard team took four passengers aboard the rescue boat, passed a dewatering pump to the operator and towed the boat to Great Bay Marina.
“Boaters who think their boat may be in jeopardy should call the Coast Guard immediately so we can assist,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Mary Doyle, a crewmember at Station Atlantic City. “Having a VHF radio allows us to get to boaters quickly and accurately.”