Tag Archives: Coast Guard
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
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
3 dead and 3 missing after landslide rips through remote Alaska fishing community
The slide, estimated to be 450 feet (137 meters) wide, occurred at about 9 p.m. Monday during a significant rain and windstorm near Wrangell, an island community of 2,000 people some 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of the state capital of Juneau. Rescue crews found the body of a girl in an initial search and late Tuesday the bodies of two adults were found by a drone operator. Searchers used a cadaver-sniffing dog and heat-sensing drones to search for two children and one adult unaccounted for after the disaster, while the Coast Guard and other vessels looked along a waterfront littered with rocks, trees and mud. >>click to read<< 08:53
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
Families of missing boaters continue search without Coast Guard’s help
A group of friends has now been missing at sea for nearly two weeks, and despite the U.S. Coast Guard calling off its search for them, the fishermen’s families are still holding out hope the group will be found. Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow left the port city of Brunswick, Georgia, on a 31-foot fishing vessel named Carol Ann Oct. 14. They planned to travel 80 miles into the open sea to a popular fishing spot before heading back Oct. 18, but they have yet to turn up. Chris Barlow, the father of missing boater Tyler Barlow, told Scripps News an initial possible sighting of the boat turned out to be a different vessel. He also said the Coast Guard’s assumption that the boat would self-deploy an emergency signal if submerged was false; the signal would instead need to be manually deployed. >>click to read<< 07:28
Coast Guard suspends search for F/V Carol Ann, 80 miles off Brunswick, Georgia
The Coast Guard suspended its search, Thursday, for three people aboard an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel offshore Brunswick, Georgia, pending new information. Missing are Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow. Crews searched more than 94,000 square miles, an area larger in size than the states of Georgia and South Carolina combined, over the span of seven days. Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Ann 
stating he hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday, Oct. 18, as scheduled. The crew left on Saturday, Oct. 14, from Brunswick, Georgia, to fish approximately 80 miles offshore and last communicated with the owner of the vessel as they headed offshore. >>click to read the press release<< 20:50
F/V Carol Ann: Coast Guard will continue its search for missing Brunswick fishermen Thursday morning
The Coast Guard planned to end the search at sunset Wednesday, but family members of the men are begging for the Coast Guard to search further north. The Coast Guard says it hasn’t found any sign of the boat or a debris field so far. Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow left for a fishing trip aboard a 31-foot boat named the ‘Carol Ann’ on October 14th from Brunswick. The Coast Guard says the EPIRB it has not yet been activated. “We are focused on the search and rescue efforts of this case but, we do have investigators that will be looking at all aspects of of why this EPIRB is not going off,” Hide said. Video, >>click to read<< 06:55
F/V Carol Ann: Families praying for best in search for missing fishermen
Dalton Conway is no stranger to the waters offshore of Brunswick. As the Brunswick-based captain of a commercial fishing vessel and the son of a commercial fishing captain, he has made hundreds of trips in search of fish to sell to merchants and local restaurants. That is why it was alarming when he and his crew of two – Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow, both of Kingsland – didn’t return home as expected last Wednesday aboard the Carol Ann, said Stevie Conway, Dalton’s sister and Wilkinson’s girlfriend. Wednesday arrivals from fishing trips are normal, Conway said, because the bounty of the catch can be sold to vendors and merchants on Thursday. “My brother goes anytime the weather is good,” Stevie Conway said. “This is his career. He does this for a living.” Hordes of search and rescue crews from multiple area U.S. Coast Guard stations, Coast Guard cutters and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources continued searching Monday for the boat and the men after they were reported missing on Friday by the owner of the Carol Ann, Josh Morgan of Brunswick. >>click to read<< 20:05
Family speaks out as the U.S. coast guard continues search for three missing fishermen
Family and friends are still searching for the three local men who went missing off the Georgia coast while fishing. The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for two days now, but the search continues. The three men embarked on their journey last Saturday, with the expectation of returning home last Thursday afternoon. However, it’s been three days, and family members have not heard a word from them. They are now hoping for a miracle. However, there is a silver lining – a raft on the boat equipped with a new form of technology. “As soon as that raft touches water, it’ll ping the Coast Guard immediately with their location, and that hasn’t happened yet. So, which means that raft has not hit the water,” Stevie said. video, >> click to read<< 09:50
UPDATE: Coast Guard search continues for search continues 80 miles off Brunswick, Georgia
The Coast Guard continues to search for an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel and its three crew members, Saturday, 80 miles offshore Brunswick, Georgia. Missing are Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow. On Friday, Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Ann stating he hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday as scheduled. The owner stated the crew extends fishing trips to maximize their catch but was growing concerned due to their last communication with the crew being six days ago. >>Click to read<< 21:04
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
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
Crew member on factory trawler dies after possible ammonia exposure onboard
A crew member on an American Seafoods factory trawler died at sea last week, likely from an ammonia leak on board. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class John Highwater said they received a satellite call from the Northern Eagle at about 4:30 a.m. Friday. “One of their crew members was found unresponsive in one of their engineering spaces,” Highwater said. “They believe there was an ammonia leak somewhere in the vessel that caused the person to fall unconscious.” The nearly 350-foot vessel was already en route to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor when they made the call to the Coast Guard. >click to read< 08:49
Search suspended for missing fisherman off Nantucket coast
The search for a missing fisherman who went overboard about five miles south of Nantucket has been suspended after roughly two days, according to multiple news outlets. On Sunday night, Aug. 13, the Coast Guard suspended the search for the fisherman, who was reported missing from a squid boat called F/V Gaston’s Legacy. It is unclear if the missing fisherman was wearing a life jacket when he went overboard, the Nantucket Current said. F/V Gaston’s Legacy is an 88-foot fishing boat from New Bedford. >click to read< 11:24
Search For Missing Fisherman in Nantucket Waters
The search is continuing off the coast of Nantucket for a fisherman who has been reported missing. Officials say the original report came in Saturday night, according to the Coast Guard. The report says that the crew of a fishing boat, the F/V Gaston’s Legacy called for help in searching for the unidentified man. Link. This story will be updated as we get more information. 08:09
Coast Guard, agencies continue response to Western Maui Fires
The Coast Guard, along with federal, state, and local partners continue to respond following the Lahaina wildfires in Maui, HI. A total of 17 lives were saved from the water and 40 survivors were located ashore by Coast Station Maui boat crews. The Coast Guard has no reports of missing persons in the water, however Coast Guard aircrews and surface assets continue search and rescue operations. “Today, our assets remain actively engaged in the search and rescue response and our responders are operating and searching as though there may still be Guard survivors in need of assistance,” said Capt. Aja L. Kirksey, Sector Commander of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. Photos, >click to read< 19:48
Coast Guard rescues man from commercial fishing vessel taking on water in Juneau, Alaska
The Coast Guard rescued a mariner Tuesday morning after his vessel began taking on water in the Gastineau Channel. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Juneau safely evacuated the survivor at 6:33 a.m. and transported him in stable condition to Harris Harbor. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska command center received notification via channel 16 at 6:08 a.m. that the 40-foot commercial fishing vessel F/V Marco was taking on water with one person aboard. >click to read< 16:12
Search suspended for missing Maine lobsterman who just graduated from high school
Authorities have suspended the search for a missing 18-year-old Down East Maine lobsterman whose unoccupied boat was found adrift. The Coast Guard said in a tweet Sunday afternoon that the search for Tylar Michaud, of Steuben, which involved vessels and aircraft, was suspended after 40 hours “pending further developments.” Michaud was reported missing at 5 p.m. Friday when he did not return from a day of hauling and setting his traps near Petit Manan Point, the state Department of Marine Resources said in a statement. Petit Manan Point is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Mount Desert Island. >click to read< 17:47
Coast Guard finds empty boat used by missing 18-year-old lobsterman
The U.S. Coast Guard has found the empty boat of a missing 18-year-old lobster fisherman. Tylar Michaud of Steuben went out on his lobster boat Friday morning, but he has not been heard from since, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. He was heading out Friday morning to work on a line of traps near Petit Manan in Pigeon Hill Bay, east of Mount Desert Island. His empty lobster boat, “Top Gun,” was found in Jonesport Saturday night. >click to read< 08:14
Coast Guard searching for missing Maine lobsterman
Dense fog wrapping the Downeast coast is complicating the Coast Guard’s search Saturday for a young Maine lobsterman who didn’t return Friday evening from a day of checking and baiting his traps off Petit Manan Island. Tylar Michaud, 18, of Steuben, was working alone Friday, Coast Guard officials said. His boat, named Top Gun, was found Friday night near Jonesport with no one aboard. “There is an ongoing search, and multiple agencies are involved,” Chief Petty Officer Alexander Polyak said Saturday. “There’s no plan to suspend the search.” >click to read< 19:43
Coast Guard, F/V Ocean One rescue 3 after boat capsizes off Freeport, Texas
The Coast Guard and good Samaritans rescued three adults after their vessel capsized off the coast of Freeport, Texas, Sunday. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a call at 5:05 p.m. on VHF-FM channel 16 from the captain of the fishing vessel Ocean One that a pleasure craft had capsized 10 miles off the coast of Freeport. All three boaters were in the water and wearing life jackets. The crew of the F/V Ocean One pulled all three boaters from the water. >click to read< 08:55
Coast Guard medevacs crewmember from fishing vessel near Venice, La.
The Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from a fishing vessel Wednesday near Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call on Channel 16 at 5:13 p.m. from the fishing vessel F/V Sea Charger requesting a medevac for a crewmember aboard who was experiencing stroke-like symptoms. Sector New Orleans watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Venice Response Boat – Medium crew to respond. A Coast Guard Cutter Tigershark boat crew also diverted to assist. The boat crews arrived on scene and embarked the man onto the RB-M which then transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Station Venice. The man was taken to Ochsner Medical Center West Bank where he was last reported to be in stable condition.
Biden admin under fire for offshore wind impacts on military operations
Earlier this week, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., industry stakeholders and experts met with officials from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a top federal watchdog agency, to discuss their concerns about offshore wind development. According to Smith, who represents a district along the Atlantic coast home to a naval weapons depot and where offshore wind projects have been proposed, more than an hour of the three-hour meeting was devoted to military impacts. The GAO recently agreed to investigate the wide-ranging effects of offshore wind development after Smith, fellow New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and several other lawmakers called for a probe. The investigation will look, in part, into wind turbines’ impact on military operations and radar. >click to read< 07:55
Coast Guard medevacs commercial fishing vessel crewmember near Pass a Loutre, La.
The Coast Guard medevaced a commercial fishing vessel crewmember Thursday near Pass a Loutre, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call via VHF-FM channel 16 at 4:30 a.m. from the commercial fishing vessel F/V Danna B stating a crewmember was experiencing suspected drug withdrawals symptoms. Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Station Venice Response Boat-Medium rescue crew to assist. The rescue crew arrived on scene, transported the crewmember, and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services personnel back at Station Venice. The crewmember was last reported to be in stable condition. -USCG 13:07
Coast Guard rescues 2 men from capsized boat off Southwest Oregon Coast
The 2 menrescued two people from their boat after it capsized Wednesday night off the coast of Nesika Beach. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Columbia River received notification around 7:30 p.m. from the wife of the captain of a 26-foot commercial fishing vessel stating that her husband had not made it back to the marina at the time he said. The wife had also relayed to the Coast Guard that a friend had called the vessel operator at approximately 3 p.m., which was the last time someone had contact with anyone on the vessel. Utilizing cell phone forensics, watchstanders were able to narrow down a viable search area. Just after 11 p.m., the aircrew located the vessel with the men sitting on the overturned hull. They were not wearing life jackets. The helicopter crew then vectored the boat crew to the scene. >click to read< 21:42
Coast Guard medevacs commercial fishing vessel crewmember near Venice, La.
The Coast Guard medevaced a commercial fishing vessel crewmember Tuesday in West Bay near Venice, Louisiana. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call via VHF-FM channel 16 at 1:11 p.m. from the commercial fishing vessel F/V Mary Judith stating a crewmember lost consciousness after being struck in the head by the vessel’s rigging equipment. Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew to assist. The aircrew arrived on scene, hoisted the crewmember, and transferred him to University Medical Center New Orleans. The crewmember was last reported to be in stable condition. >click for video< 20:30
Coast Guard responds to boat collision in James River, Virginia
The Coast Guard responded to a vessel collision Tuesday morning near the Newport News Small Boat Harbor. The Coast Guard was alerted at 7:50 a.m. that the pilot boat, Swift, and a 38-foot deadrise fishing vessel, F/V Miss Heather, collided near the Newport News Small Boat Harbor. The pilot aboard the Swift rescued two fishermen from the Miss Heather and brought them aboard the pilot boat as the fishing vessel rapidly took on water. >click to read the report< 14:50
Shipwrecked ‘ghost boat’ looms on SLO County coast. Where did it come from?
Rumors circulate about how the so-called “ghost boat” came to rest off the coast of Estero Bluffs, with some claiming that its owner fell asleep at the helm while returning home from a fishing trip. According to a U.S. Coast Guard incident report, boat owner Jonathan Smith was fishing on July 28, 2017, when his boat drifted too close to the Estero Bay shore. Smith’s deckhand wasn’t feeling well and “went below deck to rest” — leaving Smith to fend for himself, the incident report said. At about 3:45 a.m., the boat’s propeller caught on a crab pot line, so Smith stopped the engine to try to untangle the line, the report said. photos, >click to read< 08:15
