Washington state officials are ordering a salmon fisherman to pay $646,259 in damages and penalties for spilling diesel fuel into Haro Strait as his commercial fishing boat sank off San Juan Island. The boat, a purse seiner called F/V Aleutian Isle, sank while participating in a sockeye salmon fishery in August 2022. Its five-member crew escaped onto a small skiff before the Aleutian Isle rolled on its side and disappeared beneath the waves, about 15 minutes after its captain noticed water covering its main deck. F/V Aleutian Isle spent more than a month on the sea floor, with the powerful currents of Haro Strait moving it to deeper water over time, before salvage crews lifted it from the water. They recovered 590 gallons of diesel from its tanks. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:11
Tag Archives: Coast Guard
Fisherman ordered to pay $646,259 for oil spill off San Juan Island
Cranston man arrested in Narragansett after fishing trip
A commercial fisherman from Cranston was arrested Saturday morning when the fishing boat he was working on arrived in Narragansett. Narragansett Police Sergeant Kyle Hemmerle told NBC 10 News that John Avarista, 41, was wanted on a number of felony warrants – five from Connecticut, as well as a failure-to-appear warrant from Superior Court on a charge in Rhode Island. The Coast Guard said the suspect was tipped that officials were awaiting his making landfall and he diverted to a nearby dock in an attempt to escape capture. more, >CLICK TO READ<< 20:58
Fishing boat rams pier, several boats near Seattle’s Ballard Bridge
Crews responded to the west end of the Ballard Bridge after a fishing vessel crashed into a pier and several other boats Wednesday afternoon. According to the United States Coast Guard (USCG), at around 10:30 a.m., a 73-foot fishing boat crashed into the pier, damaging several other moored vessels. At around 12:28 p.m., the United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced that pollution teams were at the scene, reducing any potential environmental impacts. 4 photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:41
Coast Guard, other agencies respond to sunken vessel in Seattle
The Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology and other agencies are responding to a vessel that sank at a pier in Seattle, Tuesday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report at approximately 7:30 a.m. that the 91-foot crabbing vessel F/V North American had sunk at a pier east of the Ballard Bridge on the south side of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. To view 5 images, >>CLICK HERE<< 17:55
NTSB Report: Fire Alarm Aboard Kodiak Enterprise Never Sent an Alert
In the early hours of April 8, 2023, a fire broke out in the dry stores compartment of the fishing vessel F/V Kodiak Enterprise. The vessel was in port for a regular yard period, including cutting and welding of wasted hull and bulkhead sections. Four crewmembers from the engineering department were staying on board. On April 7, repair contractors were aboard to carry out hot work on the pilot house, hold deck, 03 deck and on a variety of vent pipe valves. The dry stores cargo hatch on the 03 level was propped open so that the workers could run a forced air ventilation hose into the interior. They finished and disembarked at about 1530 hours. The assistant chief engineer inspected the work areas after they left, and all looked to be in order. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:14
Coast Guard, other agencies respond to sunken vessel near Henry Island, Washington
The Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology, and San Juan County officials are responding to a vessel that sank Friday just west of Henry Island, Washington. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report at approximately 6 a.m. Friday that the 48-foot commercial fishing vessel Chief Joseph was taking on water with one person and a dog aboard. The person and dog departed the vessel aboard a life raft. Click to review 6 photos in the gallery, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:56
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Fishing Vessel Lady Mary Remembered 15 Years After Sinking
On March 18, 2009, the F/V Lady Mary, a 71-foot scallop boat, left Cape May Harbor for the scalloping grounds in an area known as the Elephant’s Trunk, roughly 60 miles from Cape May. The crew had nearly completed its catch when, between 5:19 and 5:39 a.m. on March 24, the boat sank. Six of the seven crew members were lost. Over the next four years, the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board completed investigations into the sinking, concluding there were multiple factors responsible. The Coast Guard filed its report on Aug. 23, 2013, saying the Lady Mary did not capsize, nor did it sink due to a fire or explosion. Despite the reported nearby presence of a container vessel named the Cap Beatrice, the Coast Guard concluded there was no evidence that any other vessel was at fault for the chain of events that eventually led to the sinking. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:35
Commercial Fisherman Juan Bueno Sanchez Found Dead in St. Petersburg, Investigation Underway
In a heart-wrenching incident off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, the local community and the maritime industry are mourning the loss of 45-year-old commercial fisherman Juan Bueno Sanchez. Sanchez, a dedicated shrimp boat worker, was reported missing by his concerned wife on February 23, when attempts to contact him failed for several days. This tragic discovery was made on Monday, following an intensive search operation led by the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Coast Guard. The disappearance of Juan Bueno Sanchez prompted a swift response from local authorities. Over the weekend, the St. Petersburg Police Department, in collaboration with the Coast Guard, launched a comprehensive search operation in the waters surrounding the area. more, >>click to read<< 07:50
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UPDATED! Louisiana shrimper missing for 6 days survived severe weather, found alive
The United States Coast Guard says a shrimper who disappeared while trying to salvage his vessel has been found alive nearly a week later. Timothy “Blimp” Cheramie was last seen on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 4 near Venice, Louisiana. The Coast Guard says Cheramie was reportedly trying to salvage his shrimp boat, which ran aground. Southeast Louisiana was battered by two rounds of severe weather on Monday, Jan. 8, including sustained winds of 15-25 mph gusting up to 45-60 mph, and several inches of rain over 12 hours. Photos, Video, more, >>click to read<< 14:46
Ghost boat found after its owner disappears while trying to save it, Coast Guard says
A missing man was last seen trying to salvage his shrimping boat in Louisiana, the Coast Guard said. Then his boat turned up partially sunk with no one on board. Family members haven’t seen Timothy Cheramie since the afternoon of Jan. 4, Petty Officer Third Class Anthony Randisi told McClatchy News. Cheramie was reportedly trying to save his boat. The Coast Guard initially reported he was last seen Jan. 6 trying to save his boat, but that date was later revised to Jan. 4. Coast Guard rescuers from New Orleans and Mobile are assisting in an aerial search of the Venice area, the agency said in a Jan. 9 news release. more, >>click to read<< 07:55
Photo Release: Coast Guard tows disabled fishing vessel to Adak, Alaska
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC 39) towed a disabled fishing vessel with eight people aboard to Adak, Monday. Alex Haley successfully towed the 127-foot fishing vessel Aleutian No. 1 into Adak and transferred to fishing vessel Erla-N. Erla-N then towed the disabled vessel into Adak where it was moored at the pier at 11:30 a.m. with the help of Alex Haley’s cutter boats. At 1:00 a.m. Saturday, the Alex Haley arrived on scene and took Aleutian No. 1 in tow before transiting over 160 miles to Adak. Watchstanders in the 17th District command center received initial notification from the master of Aleutian No. 1 at 5:57 a.m., Thursday, reporting they had fouled their prop, were unable to conduct repairs and were drifting approximately three miles north of Amchitka Island, 575 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor.3 photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:49
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Coast Guard rescues six people from two disabled fishing vessels 70 miles east of Venice, La.
The Coast Guard rescued six people from two disabled fishing vessels Saturday approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m. of fishing vessel F/V Georgia P being disabled approximately 70 miles east of Venice, Louisiana. Fishing vessel Seahorse responded to the tow of fishing vessel Georgia P. During the tow, the Seahorse also became disabled. Due to the captain aboard the Seahorse not having enough medication to get through the night, degrading weather, and poor communications, all crew members aboard agreed to be removed from their vessels. more, >>click to read<< 20:34
VIDEO RELEASE: Coast Guard rescues 2 after vessel sinks 34 miles offshore Charleston
A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter crew rescued two men, Tuesday, after their 30-foot fishing vessel capsized 34 miles offshore of Charleston. Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center watchstanders received a mayday call at 10:30 p.m., via VHF-FM channel 16 from a crew member aboard the fishing vessel stating their vessel was sinking. Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Charleston boat crew and an Air Station Savannah helicopter crew to assist. Utilizing direction finding technology to triangulate the last known position, watchstanders were able to identify the vessel’s approximate location. Once on scene at the vessel’s last known position, the helicopter crew immediately located a life raft with two people aboard. Video, more, >>click to read<< 19:30
Coast Guard urges safety precautions in advance of Dungeness Crab season
Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery opens Dec. 16 from Cape Foulweather, just south of Depoe Bay, to the California border, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The Coast Guard is urging mariners to take safety precautions in advance of the season, which in the past is historically followed by a spike in search and rescue cases involving commercial fishing vessels. Most major marine casualties involving the loss of life or loss of a vessel occurs during Dungeness Crab season for an array of reasons including unavailability of lifesaving equipment, poor weather conditions, and fatigue. more, >>click to read<< 15:08
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A Sinking Trawler Is Saved
When Capt. Chuck Morici’s boat was sinking 15 miles from Montauk Point on Nov. 15, he did what people do in 2023: He made a short video. Orange haze from a smoke flare he had thrown in the water swirled around the boat. He pointed the camera below deck to show water, rising rapidly. “There she goes. I just want to cry. We’re going down.” Minutes later, after the Coast Guard had arrived, he made a second video. “You might not like the Coast Guard when they measure your fish, but you sure like them when they show up and save your ass,” he said before panning to a Coast Guardsman descending below deck. “I was fishing next to Capt. Dave Aripotch in heavy currents. I told him I was having trouble and asked him to come pick up my crew. I put them in survival suits immediately. Dave backed up, stern to stern, and he took care of my guys.” >>click to read<< 15:21
Divers to inspect fishing boat that sank at Jersey Shore during salvage attempt
The F/V Susan Rose is “fully submerged” in 49 feet of water a half-mile off Point Pleasant Beach, approximately a half-mile south of the Manasquan Inlet, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Matthew West said. The company in charge of removing the vessel, Northstar Marine Services, is working with the boat’s owners on a new plan to salvage it. “We will be going out to dive on it — to do a dive inspections, take a look at the current state of it,” Northstar Marine Services President Phillip Risko told NJ Advance Media on Monday. “So we’re planning on that in the coming days, but nothing else particular at this point. I’m not sure what day that’s going to be.” Photos, Video, >>click to read<< 10:03
‘Catastrophic failure’: Efforts to salvage fishing trawler Susan Rose end with it sinking
The salvage of the Susan Rose, the fishing boat that ran aground in Point Pleasant Beach, was going as planned early Sunday when water started coursing into the 48-year-old commercial trawler with eight crew members on board, the salvage company owner said. The boat ended up sinking about a half mile offshore during the salvage operation. Northstar Marine Services of Cape May County was handling the salvage operation. Photos, video >>click to read<< 07:07
When a Coast Guard helicopter crashed in Southeast Alaska, first on the scene were the helicopter crashed it came to rescue
The first people at the scene of Monday night’s crash of an Air Station Sitka helicopter were the crew of the distressed fishing vessel it was sent to assist. The two brothers aboard the Lydia Marie played a critical role in the rescue of the downed air crew. Logan Padgett is the captain of the Lydia Marie, a 44-foot wooden troller based in Wrangell. The Lydia Marie began taking on water around 8 p.m. Monday in the rough seas of Frederick Sound. Padgett sent out a mayday and steered for the protected northern shore of Read Island in Farragut Bay. >>click to read<< 08:05
Ordinary Heroes: Fishermen Turn Rescuers in Treacherous Seas – In the midst of a treacherous night at sea, the crew of the fishing vessel Lydia Marie found themselves unexpectedly shifting roles from the ones in need of rescue to becoming the rescuers. Captain Logan Padgett and his younger brother, ordinary fishermen, were thrust into action to aid the downed air crew of an Air Station Sitka helicopter. >>click to read<< 11:24
Three Fishermen Rescued as Commercial Vessel Sinks Off Hampton Bays
Three commercial fishermen were rescued from the waters off Hampton Bays on Thursday afternoon after the 41-foot trawler they were aboard began rapidly taking on water and sank. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the fishing vessel Kary Ann sent out a mayday call about noon on Thursday from about one mile south of Shinnecock Inlet. By the time a Coast Guard launch reached the scene, the three fishermen who were aboard had abandoned ship. >>click to read<<< 13:30
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The afternoon during World War II when they made a ‘Beeline for Block Island’
Encounters with unexploded ordinance from World War II is not limited to Europe or decades after the conflict. The waters around Block Island in the spring of 1945 proved this latter point. While the war in Europe was winding down, three fishermen were killed off the southeastern shore of Block Island. These three fishermen were all over the age of 30, which of course resulted from the war taking any of the younger fishermen away to the far corners of the world. As result, a trawler out of Stonington accidentally bringing up an unexploded 550-pound bomb that rested on the ocean bottom some eight miles from Block Island, would not only take three lives but caused 11 children to be fatherless. World War II stands out in the history of human conflict for two main reasons. First, of course, is the unprecedented scale of the conflict, in terms of weapons used, nations involved, and lives lost. Second, and less understood, was the high percentage of civilians killed in the war. This would include the three Stonington fishermen. >>click to read<< 10:48