Tag Archives: U.S. Coast Guard
Fishing boat catches undetonated explosive off RI
The U.S. Coast Guard said an explosive caught by a fishing vessel Wednesday morning was detonated. According to Petty Officer Ryan Noel, the F/V Ocean State hauled up the unexploded ordnance four nautical miles off the east coast of Block Island. The vessel was instructed to anchor two miles west of Point Judith, while the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal group was called in to detonate the device. All three crew members were evacuated and a one-mile safety zone was set up around the vessel for the 9 a.m. detonation. >click to read< 20:21
Shrimp boat found capsized in Lake Pontchartrain; 1 dead, 1 injured
U.S. Coast Guard members found a capsized shrimp boat with two boaters, one dead and one injured in Lake Pontchartrain Thursday morning, according to a social media post by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The boat was found between the Interstate 10 twin span bridges near the St. Tammany-Orleans parish line, according to the post. The Sheriff’s Office Marine Division was notified at 5:15 a.m. that a 21-foot blue shrimping skiff that was seen launching at about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Pointe Marina in Slidell was overdue to return, with the truck and boat trailer still at the marina. >click to read< 12:25
LDWF Agents Investigating Boating Fatality in St. Tammany Parish – Victim Identified. The body of Ricky Hodgson, 72, of Pearl River, was recovered from Lake Pontchartrain around 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 22. Agents learned that Hodgson and another passenger on the boat were recreationally trawling for shrimp in Lake Pontchartrain near the twinspans when their trawl was stuck around midnight. >click to read< 17:15
NTSB Reiterates Call for Mandatory Personal Locator Beacons Following Investigation Into F/V Emmy Rose Sinking
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is reiterating calls for a personal locator beacon requirement following its investigation into the 2020 sinking of the F/V Emmy Rose that claimed the lives of four crew members off of Cape Cod. NTSB also reiterated an earlier safety recommendation to the Coast Guard to require all vessel personnel be provided with a personal locator beacon (PLB). NTSB issued that recommendation following the sinking of the cargo vessel El Faro in 2015 in which all 33 crewmembers perished. NTSB also reiterated the recommendation after the fishing vessel F/V Scandies Rose sank off Sutwik Island, Alaska, in 2019. Two of the vessel’s crewmembers were rescued; the other five were never found. >click to read< 10:37
Loose Hatch Cover May Have Caused the Loss of the F/V Emmy Rose
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the capsizing of the fishing vessel F/V Emmy Rose, which went down with all hands off Massachusetts in late 2020, was likely due to an unsecured hatch cover on its lazarette, which could have allowed rapid flooding when water accumulated on deck. In the early hours of November 23, 2020, The Emmy Rose was under way off Provincetown, Massachusetts with about 50,000 pounds of fish in her holds. She was headed to Gloucester, with winds of 20 knots and following seas of about six feet in height. >click to read< 21:18
U.S. Coast Guard rescues 2 fishermen off Oregon coast
The Coast Guard rescued two fishermen from a disabled vessel offshore Oregon Sunday. Watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District command center in Seattle received a report at 9:21 p.m. Friday that the 66-foot fishing vessel, F/V Lodestar, lost all means of propulsion and was stranded in a storm battling 8-to-12-foot waves and over 40-knot winds approximately 180 miles offshore Coos Bay. >click to read< 06:59
Efforts to remove sunken vessel near Victoria are difficult due to conditions
A small fishing vessel remains underwater two weeks after it sank off the coast of San Juan Island, Washington, and the U.S. Coast Guard says removal efforts are difficult due to strong water conditions. On Aug. 13, the Aleutian Isle sank near the U.S. Island — approximately 25.6 kilometers east of Victoria. Dumping an estimated 9,854 litres of diesel oil, sheen covered several kilometers of water and threatened marine life while sparking a joint response between U.S. and Canadian agencies. Video, >click to read< 09:06
Divers hope to wrap up work, raise sunken fishing vessel near San Juan Island soon – Two weeks after an oil spill began off the west side of San Juan Island, divers began work that will allow them to plug a sunken fishing vessel more than 200 feet below the surface. >click to read<
F/V Aleutian Isle: Unified Command continues response to pollution incident off San Juan Island
Daily overflights have shown the amount of sheening remains minimal. This sheening is originating from periodic venting of diesel from the fuel tanks. A barge and crane are being transported from Seattle to San Juan Island to assist in raising the vessel. Additionally, due to the depth of the wreck, divers are required to use specialized gas mixtures which are currently being produced. Once mixed, the gas must settle and be tested for proportionality, and then shipped to the San Juan Island team. The crane, barge, and gas mixture are estimated to arrive later this week. Once received, removal operations will begin. >click to read< 20:10
Steps continue to remove sunken boat from seafloor near San Juan Island
Response teams continue to take gradual steps to remove the F/V Aleutian Isle from the seafloor after the 49-foot fishing vessel sank last weekend west of San Juan Island. Teams are moving forward with a plan to remove the whole commercial vessel and have it placed onto a barge, where contaminants can be safely removed, according to a Friday news release from the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest. “This is the best course of action to ensure the removal of as much pollutants and contamination as possible from the environmentally sensitive area,” the statement said. >click to read< 20:20
Sunken fishing boat shifts into deeper water in Salish Sea leaking fuel in orca habitat
An update from the U.S. Coast Guard says the 15-metre F/V Aleutian Isle has shifted since it went down Saturday off Washington state, near San Juan Island, roughly 25 kilometres east of Victoria. The vessel, loaded with about 10,000 litres of diesel and oil, was originally resting in about 30 metres of water, but U.S. officials say it is now some 60 metres below the surface. The coast guard says the added depth presents more logistical challenges that the on-scene dive team is working to resolve. Divers are also trying to gather and remove a large fishing net that has floated free of the wreck and the Coast Guard update says officials are watching the area closely even though no marine mammals have been reported nearby. >click to read< 17:55
CG Cutter Winslow Griesser, fishing vessel collide north of Dorado, Puerto Rico resulting with fatality
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser and the 23-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Desakata were involved in a collision Monday afternoon, approximately four nautical miles north of Dorado, Puerto Rico. Following the collision, the crew of the cutter Winslow Griesser recovered the two fishermen aboard Desakata, identified as Carlos Rosario, who was fatally injured, and his brother Samuel Rosario Beltrán, who sustained injuries but survived the collision. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan were notified of the incident by the cutter Winslow Griesser crew at approximately 2:19 p.m. Monday. >click to read< 07:52
Happy Birthday USCG: Why some claim the Coast Guard is the oldest and most badass military service branch
August 4, 2022 marks the Coast Guard’s 232nd birthday. Over two centuries of continuous lifesaving, law enforcement and defense while proudly serving the United States looks good on the force. And despite the Army and Navy claiming to be the older service – they’re all wrong. So. So. Wrong. Mostly. Here’s why. When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the Continental Army and Navy were dissolved. Gone. Finished. Cut off! Minus two little volunteer militia units to maintain the weapons. This was largely due to the country not wanting a “standing” military, leaving it up to essentially volunteer militia and states. Seven years later on August 4, 1790 the orange and blue savior we all know and love, the United States Coast Guard, was born – though initially labeled The Revenue Cutter Service. Photos, >click to read< 15:39
F/V Gabby G: Collision with cruise ship under investigation
There will be a U.S. Coast Guard investigation into a collision early Saturday morning involving a fishing vessel out of New Bedford and a cruise ship. The F/V Gabby G, which had been fishing for whiting, was returning to port when it struck the Norwegian Pearl, which had been bound for Bermuda, according to the Coast Guard. The collision occurred at 2:25 a.m. in rainy conditions about 35 miles southeast of Nantucket. Dan Farnham, manager of vessel owner Gabby G Fisheries Inc. out of Montauk, N.Y., said there was one minor injury aboard the fishing vessel. “He’s all fine, just a little scrape,” he said. >click to read< 07:26
New Bedford Man Shares Experience on Cruise Ship Struck By Fishing Vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard determined that the New Bedford-based F/V Gabby G, a 92-foot fishing boat, slammed into the midsection of the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship 41 nautical miles east of Nantucket early Saturday, as passengers were awakened by a loud boom. New Bedford lawyer Paul Santos and his wife were in a cabin above where the collision occurred. “It’s about 2:30 in the morning when I got up because nature called. I had just made it into the restroom, when this enormous ‘bang’ sound broke the nighttime quiet and the cruise ship started vibrating from the core, >click to read< 07:29
Fishing boat strikes Norwegian Pearl cruise ship east of Nantucket
Passengers aboard a cruise ship that sails weekly out of Boston awoke to a jolt early Saturday morning when the massive vessel was struck by a fishing boat. The U.S. Coast Guard said it received a report of the collision involving the Norwegian Pearl at 2:25 a.m. A spokesperson said a fishing boat, F/V Gabby G, struck the Pearl’s midsection about 41 nautical miles east of Nantucket. The vessels were operating in rainy conditions at the time of the collision. Coast Guard officials said damage to the cruise ship was minimal, but the fishing vessel was significantly damaged. One person aboard the Gabby G suffered a laceration. Video, >click to read< 08:01
Cruise Ship Hits Fishing Boat – A cruise ship bound for Bermuda was delayed after striking a fishing vessel off the coast of Nantucket on Saturday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Norwegian Pearl was “thoroughly assessed” and given clearance by the Coast Guard to continue on her seven-day voyage as planned, the spokesperson said. The Gabby G, however, reported some damages to the bow and was towed to New Bedford, arriving around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, >click to read<
Body found on West Island, believed to be missing fisherman
The U.S. Coast Guard says a body found on West Island yesterday, is believed to be the body of a missing fisherman. Around 1:30 a.m. on July 1st, crew members of the commercial fishing vessel F/V Susan Rose noticed one person wasn’t on board, according to Petty Officer Ryan Noel. F/V Susan Rose is a 77-foot fishing vessel based out of Point Judith that normally has four crew members on board, Noel said. Massachusetts State Police and the Medical Examiner are investigating. The victim has not been officially identified at this time. >click to read< 20:26
Missing shrimper identified as La Feria resident
A missing shrimper last seen on South Padre Island has been identified as 35-year-old Christopher Vargas from La Feria. According to a release from the U.S. Coast Guard, Vargas fell from a shrimp trawler 35 miles off the coast of South Padre Island early Saturday morning. Vargas was last seen wearing a tank top and shorts. He was not wearing a life vest when he fell overboard. His aunt Leticia Vargas said it is uncertain what happened to Christopher. She said going offshore to catch shrimp was a traditional job for him. “This was his way of getting money for back to school, that’s what his wife was waiting for, that’s what the kids were waiting for, that’s what his intentions were for him to go out there, he’s been doing this for years,” she said. >Video, click to read< 07:00
U.S. Coast Guard: Search suspended for missing commercial fisherman off South Padre Island, Texas
The Coast Guard has suspended its search Sunday for a 35-year-old fisherman who went missing off South Padre Island, Texas, Saturday. Coast Guard crews searched approximately 1,903 square miles for over 32 combined hours. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a call at 5 a.m. Saturday on VHF-FM channel 16 from the master of the 65-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Santa Fe stating one of his crew members was missing 35 miles offshore Land Cut. The man was reportedly not wearing a life jacket at the time of his disappearance. >click to read< 18:21
Coast Guard searching for missing commercial fisherman off South Padre Island, Texas
The Coast Guard is searching for a missing 35-year-old fisherman in the water off South Padre Island, Texas, Saturday. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a call at 5 a.m. on VHF-FM channel 16 from the master of the 65-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Santa Fe stating one of his crew members was missing 35 miles offshore Land Cut. Missing is a 5-foot, 10-inch tall, 150-pound Latino male last seen wearing a tank top and shorts. The man was reportedly not wearing a life jacket. >click to read< 11:41
‘He kept my head up. He’s the hero’: Three survive sinking of fishing boat in Southeast Alaska
Howard Starbard knew he had a problem when the pumps couldn’t keep up with the water pouring into his 37-foot commercial fishing boat, Miss Amy. The 63-year-old retired Alaska State Troopers commander couldn’t know he was about to spend 45 minutes in the sea, fighting to stay afloat before a relative, two Good Samaritan vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard intervened to help him survive his boat’s sinking off the Southeast Alaska community of Pelican. Starbard was power trolling for king salmon during a commercial opener Monday with his 13-year-old grandson and 35-year-old nephew about three miles off the west coast of Chichagof Island. It was the first day the Miss Amy had been out all summer. Then the high-water alarm sounded. >click to read< 16:11
U.S. Coast Guard, Japanese Coast Guard and U.S. Navy medevacs fisherman off Guam
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, and U.S. Navy rescued a mariner aboard a fishing vessel south of Guam. On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s Joint Rescue Sub-Center (JRSC) received a report of a 55-year old male experiencing severe abdominal pain aboard F/V Fukuichimaru No. 83, nearly 725-nautical miles south of Guam. Photos, >click to read< 22:05
Video: U.S. Coast Guard medevacs crewmember from fishing vessel near Morgan City, La.
The Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember Monday from a commercial fishing vessel 21 miles offshore Morgan City, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a notification at 7:46 p.m. from the commercial fishing vessel F/V GP Amelia of a crewmember suffering from abdominal pain. Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew to assist. The helicopter crew arrived on scene, hoisted the crewmember, and transferred them to University Medical Center in New Orleans. The crewmember was last reported to be in stable condition. >click for video< 18:25
Commercial Fisherman survives after sleepwalking on boat, falling overboard
Rescuers said “a miracle of God” saved a fisherman who fell overboard into Southern California waters when he woke up in the middle of the night and began sleepwalking off the boat. Dylan Fogg expected a typical Thursday out at sea. He spoke exclusively with Eyewitness News on Friday and said he went to sleep aboard the F/V Crystal Bay, a commercial fishing boat, but woke up in the waters off Ventura. More than six hours later, his crew realized Fogg was missing and put out a mayday call to the U.S. Coast Guard. “A miracle of God found Dylan,” said Crystal Bay Capt. Pence MacKimmie. “He was 12 miles offshore and 40 miles behind the boat. We never knew he went over.” Video, >click to read< 21:28
Coast Guard: Marijuana use a factor in fatal Tillamook Bay capsizing
In February 2021, the F/V Coastal Reign, a commercial fishing vessel, capsized while attempting to cross the bar at Tillamook Bay when returning from a days-long crabbing expedition. The Coast Guard responded with rescue boats and a helicopter from Astoria, but two on the fishing vessel didn’t make it. Todd Chase and Zachary Zappone were killed when the boat capsized. Investigators site survivor testimony and evidence found at the scene, saying marijuana was used by three of the four people on board, not including Chase but including the owner and operator of the boat Brandon Anderson, for a majority of the nearly 40-hour trip. Investigators say one of the survivors told authorities they kept the use hidden from Chase while on the trip. Video, >click to read< 07:29
Coast Guard Medevacs ‘Deadliest Catch’ Fisherman During Arctic Storm with Three Minutes of Fuel Left
On a recent episode, a man very nearly did die after being crushed by 2,000 pounds of steel crab pots aboard the F/V Patricia Lee, captained by Rip Carlton. Fisherman Todd Kochutin was hit by a single crab pot and died on the ship in February 2021. This time it was Francis Katungin, another fisherman, who was gravely injured after a wave hit and left him with pelvis trauma and a damaged iliac artery. Without immediate medical attention, he would likely die. When a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter showed up, the pilot was doubtful they’d be able to extract Katungin. With quickly depleting fuel, a moving target, dangerous winds and unruly water, the likelihood that they would rescue the fisherman was extremely slim. >Video, >click to read< 12:22
‘Definitely the most difficult rescue I have been on’ recalls a rescuer of F/V Atlantic Destiny crew
Daniel Domonkos will always remember the moment he and his SAR tech crew first laid eyes on the ill-fated F/V Atlantic Destiny a year ago. Seeing the stricken vessel being tossed around in the waves “like a little toy,” the flight engineer immediately wondered, “How are we supposed to get anyone off that boat?” And not just one person, but 31 of them. It was a miraculous scene that later played out at the Yarmouth International Airport as crew members of the Atlantic Destiny and their rescuers stepped out of helicopters to safety, the warmth of those moments only interrupted by the bone-chilling bitter cold. Photos, Video, >click to read< 08:08
Overboard California Fisherman Swims Five Hours to Safety
After being thrown overboard, and as he watched his boat drift away from him, a fisherman knew that his only chance of survival was to swim his way out. “I looked up at the sky and I was like ‘Really?!’” he said. “Like really, this is how I’m going to die.” He began to think about his family: his wife their two little girls and their older son and motivated himself to keep swimming. “There was a lot of the drive,” said Thompson. “Just thinking ‘Oh my god, they’re going to grow up without me.” Video, >click to read< 10:05
California Fisherman Survives Harrowing 5-Hour Swim After Falling Overboard
Scott Thompson, a commercial fisherman, took his boat out on the Santa Barbara Channel around 5 p.m. on Jan. 26. Five hours of swimming later, he wound up on an oil platform with no boat. On his way back, he stood up on the side of the boat but rough waters took hold of the vessel. Thompson lost his balance and fell. That left him stranded in the water and watching his boat drift away. He attempted to swim and catch up to it but was unsuccessful. Eventually, around 10 p.m., Thompson found his way to oil Platform Gail. >click to read< 20:16
Approval granted for removal of grounded American Challenger
The U.S. Coast Guard’s top commander has authorized use of federal dollars from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to dismantle a 90-foot, decommissioned fishing vessel grounded on the rocks off the Marin Coast since last March. But the long-awaited consent means little until rough winter ocean conditions subside long enough to make salvage operations safe, officials said. The salvage “is approved, so it’s just a matter of time now,” said Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Fish and Game Department’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, which is handling communication for Unified Command. >click to read< 19:02
Lest We Forget: The USCG Lifeboat Triumph-F/V Mermaid tragedy 60 years ago
At approximately 4:15 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 1961, Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River, received a radio call from Roy Gunnari, skipper of the fishing vessel Jana Jo. Gunnari advised that he was relaying a mayday call from the fishing vessel Mermaid, a 34-foot crab-fishing boat from Ilwaco, Wash., owned and operated by brothers Bert and Stanley Bergman. While approaching the mouth of the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean, the Mermaid lost its rudder near treacherous Peacock Spit. Photos, >click to read< 08:41
F/V Bald Eagle II: Shrimp trawler hauled off the beach, now under tow
After sitting on the edge of the surf off Southern Shores for the last eight days, F/V Bald Eagle II returned to the sea thanks to a salvage tug from Charleston. The bow of the Bald Eagle II has been turned back into the waves as the tug John Joseph pulls a braided tow rope, while an excavator digs sand out from under the stern to help refloat the vessel. Photos, Video, >click to read< 16:31
