Tag Archives: U.S. Coast Guard
All crew members rescued after 65-foot fishing vessel capsized just off Ventura Harbor entrance
Four crew members were rescued after their 65-foot commercial fishing vessel capsized just outside of the Ventura Harbor entrance Friday. Two of those crew members were transported to a local hospital for further medical evaluation shared the Ventura Harbor Patrol. At 9:59 a.m., the Ventura Harbor Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard received a report of the capsized F/V Net Effect, a 65-foot fishing vessel, just outside of the Harbor’s entrance stated a request for information from the Ventura Harbor Patrol. According to Ventura Harbor Patrol, the capsized vessel is outside the jurisdiction of the Harbor and Port District boundaries and the U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating the handling of removing fuel from the vessel. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13: 47
F/V Wind Walker – ‘Doesn’t even seem real’: Friend remembers lost Coos Bay fisherman
Five men are still missing and presumed dead after their fishing boat capsized off the Alaskan coast early Sunday morning. One of the fishermen, 22-year-old Jake Hannah, is from Coos Bay. His close friend and fellow fisherman Ben Martinez-Yates tells KOIN 6 he’s still in disbelief after hearing the news. “Usually, this time of year up there, the weather gets really, really nasty. The weather is just unpredictable, and boats ice up and stuff happens,” said Martinez-Yates. Hannah was aboard the 50-foot “Wind Walker” when it made an emergency radio call near Juneau very early Sunday. “When they went to turn around, they flipped over and the boat capsized,” said Martinez-Yates. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:43
Historic MS Coast boat is saved after captain’s death. His family has hopes for its future
The Linda K sat for days near the shore of Deer Island, the water seeping in. It’s captain, esteemed shrimper Richard Kopszywa, died tragically last week after he went to work on the boat in the harbor. The 75-year-old devoted his days to restoring the historic vessel, and he never shrimped alone anymore, his family said. They do not know what happened. But through their grief, the Kopszywa family is determined to save the boat. One day, they hope to donate it to Biloxi’s Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, where Kopszywa is in the Hall of Fame. “That’s the logical place,” said his wife, Shelley. “It has to go there.” lots of links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:48
Capsized fishing boat off Alaska coast included Oregon crew member
Before Jake Hannah, 22, left for his commercial fishing trip on Saturday night, he called his mother, who lives in his hometown of Coos Bay. “He said, ‘Hey mom, we’re getting ready to go out, I love you,’” That was our promise, “You always call me before you leave, and you always call me when you get home.” But the second call never came, she said. Instead, she learned her son’s boat, the F/V Wind Walker, had capsized in the stormy waters off the coast of Sitka, Alaska, with four other people on board. “I thought, ‘God please no, let these boys be safe,’” Carol Hannah said. “It wasn’t just Jake that I was worried about; it was the whole crew.” In his home state of Oregon, Jake Hannah continues to inspire people to remember who he was before he left for Alaska. “He was an all-around awesome guy; you couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Carol Hannah said. “He was the best son a mom could ever want.” Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:18
F/V Wind Walker – ‘Everybody is heartbroken’: Families of 5 missing crewmembers from boat capsizing share their stories
The families of the five crew members missing after their boat capsized in Icy Strait are opening up on who their loved ones are as they anxiously await updates while holding out hope that the men may still be alive somewhere. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday after the fishing vessel Wind Walker capsized early Sunday near Point Couverden, the southern tip of a small island in Southeast Alaska. Always a lover of fishing and the ocean, Jacob’s mother Carol Hannah said he moved to Alaska from their home in Oregon roughly two years ago. She described her son as always being the life of the party who could light up a room with his larger-than-life personality. Only in Alaska for six months, 34-year-old Emilio “EJ” had only recently taken up a career in fishing, with this trip being his first time out on a boat, according to his aunt Stephanie Molt. She said the five men had been fishing for black cod before the vessel was reported to have capsized.Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:47
Missing crew from Alaska fishing boat identified
The U.S. Coast Guard has released the names of the five fishermen who went missing off the southeast Alaska coast. This comes two days after the search for their bodies and the boat has been called off. Early Sunday morning, a few miles off the coast of Juneau, Alaska, the F/V Wind Walker crew came over the radio. Just twelve miles away on a tugboat, Glenn Jahnke was serving as a mate on watch overnight. He said he heard the fear and urgency in the crew’s voice. “He said they rolled on their side, were taking on water, two people were in the water. Then the Coast Guard asked a question and there was no response after that,” Jahnke said. That was the last time the five Sitka-based crew members were heard from. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:54
F/V Wind Walker: Utah man, 4 others missing after fishing boat capsizes off Alaska coast
A Utah man and four others are missing after their fishing boat capsized early Sunday morning off Couverden Point, Alaska, about 24 miles southwest of Juneau. According to a press release by the U.S. Coast Guard, the search for the missing fishermen was suspended Monday morning, one day after they received a Mayday call that the vessel was overturning. Among those aboard the commercial fishing vessel Wind Walker was Alex Zamantakis, 28, who grew up in Magna. A GoFundMe account set up by family members said funds will go Zamantakis’ girlfriend, and their six-month-old son, Alex. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:33
Families of 5 missing crew members worried after Coast Guard suspends search for capsized fishing boat
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday after the fishing vessel F/V Wind Walker capsized early Sunday near Point Couverden, the southern tip of a small island in Southeast Alaska. Coast Guard officials confirmed Tuesday the names of the five crew members of the ship who are missing after the boat capsized: Travis Kapp, Jacob Hannah, Alex Ireland, Emilio Celaya-Talamanter, Michael Brown. Family members of Alex Ireland said Alex preferred to use the last name Zamantakis. His father Mike Zamantakis said they are struggling with the news that the search was suspended. “My hope is that last radio communication from the captain of the ship saying that the men were capsized but they were trying to get in the lifeboat,” Zamantakis said. “They haven’t found the lifeboat either, so that’s my glimmer, that’s my sliver of hope that Alex and his buds will be sitting under some logs or some leaves on a beach someplace trying to stay warm till they’re rescued.”Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:24
Coast Guard suspends search for 5 missing fishermen in Southeast Alaska
The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday morning suspended the search for survivors from a Sitka-based commercial fishing boat that capsized early Sunday morning with five people aboard. The Coast Guard said the search for the 52-foot F/V Wind Walker continued for nearly 24 hours and covered more than 108 square nautical miles. The boat’s crew issued a mayday call at 12:07 a.m. Sunday “reporting they were overturning,” the Coast Guard said. Watchstanders in Juneau received no additional response, they said, but the boat’s emergency beacon signal was located near Point Couverden in Icy Strait, southwest of Juneau. On Sunday, the Coast Guard said searchers had located seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights but no signs of any of the people aboard the vessel. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:02
US Coast Guard launches search operation for missing fishermen after vessel capsizes in Alaska
F/V Wind Walker, a vessel approximately 50-foot (15-metre) in length, transmitted a distress signal indicating the boat was overturning at approximately 12.10 am. The Coast Guard’s subsequent communication attempts received no response. Search teams located seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights floating in the search zone. The rescue operation encountered severe weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, winds reaching 60 mph (96 kph), and 6-foot (1.8-metre) seas. The Gulf of Alaska region was under an active winter storm warning during this period. According to people aware of the vessel, which departed from Icy Strait just south of Point Couverden, five people were aboard. However, the Coast Guard has yet to verify this number officially. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:14
Coast Guard and good Samaritans search for people on board fishing boat that capsized in seas off Southeast Alaska
The U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritans, including a state ferry, are searching Sunday for multiple missing people who were on board a commercial fishing boat that reportedly capsized in cold seas in Icy Strait, southwest of Juneau. Five people were thought to be on board based on “reports from individuals familiar with those aboard the vessel,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. Searchers have found cold-water safety gear and other emergency items but no people yet in the search area, according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard reported heavy snow and strong winds up to 45-60 mph in the area Sunday, with 6-foot seas. Around 12:10 a.m. Sunday, crew on board the roughly 50-foot-long vessel Wind Walker reported that “they were overturning” in a mayday call that was received by Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska watchstanders, the Coast Guard said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:33
Beloved MS Coast Hall of Fame shrimper remembered as kind, humble and ‘full of grace’
Day after day, Richard Kopszywa shrimped from his old wooden boat named F/V Linda K, and carefully repaired it so the vessel still ran after decades. “He used to tell me, ‘If I can’t shrimp or if I can’t get out on the water, I think I will probably just die,” his wife, Shelley Kopszywa, said. “It was in his veins.” Now, his family is grieving after authorities found Kopszywa near Deer Island last week, two days after his wife reported him missing and the Coast Guard found the Linda K empty, five miles from shore. Shelley Kopszywa said she believes her husband died doing what he loved, so she is at peace. Kopszywa was humble, his wife said, and probably would not have liked all this attention. But she loves him too much to listen. He was the kind of man who helped her down the steps, she said, and always opened the door for her. “Full of grace,” she said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
UPDATE: Body found in Biloxi identified as missing 75-year-old shrimper
Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer says the body found Tuesday morning between Biloxi Beach and Deer Island is missing shrimper Richard Kopszywa. The 75-year-old Biloxi man went missing from the F/V Linda K shrimp boat. The boat sank while being towed to shore near the western tip of Deer Island. Three days earlier, Ricky Kopszywa took his shrimp boat out to fill some last-minute orders for Thanksgiving, his family said. When his wife didn’t hear from him Sunday, she reported him missing. The Coast Guard found his boat, the Linda K, five miles offshore. The boat passed down from Ricky’s father was named after Ricky’s oldest sister. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:35
Coast Guard searching for 75-year-old shrimper after abandoned ship found off Biloxi coast
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing shrimper after his boat, the F/V Linda K, was found Sunday morning with no one on board. According to Ensign William Winston with the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Station, the 75-year-old man was reported missing by his wife Sunday morning after she didn’t hear from him. The shrimper’s wife told officials he usually checks in daily when he’s out shrimping. The Coast Guard located the shrimp boat about five miles off the coast of Biloxi. The boat sunk while being towed to shore near the western tip of Deer Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:18
Two Dominican nationals sentenced for smuggling endangered juvenile eels from Puerto Rico
On Nov. 14, U.S. District Court Judge Aida M. Delgado-Colón sentenced Simón De la Cruz Paredes, 56, to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release. On Thursday, Saúl Enrique José De la Cruz, 39, received the same sentence in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Court documents revealed the pair spent months harvesting the juvenile eels in rivers near Levittown, Puerto Rico. The eels were kept alive using specialized oxygenation equipment while the defendants prepared a boat for the trip back to the Dominican Republic. On Feb. 21, they departed Puerto Rico with 30 kilograms of glass eels valued at $132,000, a handgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel about 40 miles from Puerto Rico after the men refused to comply with an order to stop. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:27
Fishing boat runs aground near Jamestown: Photos – Video
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to help a fishing boat that ran aground Monday morning off the coast of Jamestown. The incident occurred just after midnight in the west passage between Austin Hollow and Beavertail State Park. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<12:58
Second Minke Whale Found Dead Off Jersey Coast Days Since Offshore Wind Survey Ship Returned
A small minke whale was found dead early Friday morning near Trenton Avenue in Lavallette, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC). The whale, measuring between 10 and 12 feet, was reported to the MMSC around 6:30 a.m. The organization confirmed that this whale is different from the one sighted in the Lower Bay/Raritan Bay area on Thursday. Yesterday, a dead minke whale was found off the shoreline in Raritan Bay. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the research vessel Time and Tide has been conducting survey operations in a corridor off Manasquan Inlet since September 29. That testing will continue through November 16. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:25
Humboldt Fisherman’s Wives Holding Burn Recovery Fundraiser for Captain and Two Crews Members of Mariah K
The Humboldt fisherman’s wives has generously offered to put on a Burn recovery fundraiser for my nephew and his 2 crew members that sustained severe burns while commercial fishing off of Oregon Coast a month ago when the boat engine exploded. The 2 crew were released from the hospital a couple weeks ago and are now recovering at home. My nephew Emanuel, the captain of the Mariah K is still in the intensive care unit at St Francis burn center in San Francisco. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02
Coast Guard urges preparedness ahead of Tropical Storm Francine
New Orleans – The Coast Guard is preparing, Monday, and will respond to impacts from Tropical Storm Francine as it is expected to strengthen to a hurricane and make landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or unavailable at the height of a storm. As soon as it is safe to operate after a storm, the Coast Guard, along with our local first responders and federal partners, will provide the life-saving support needed in storm-stricken areas. This includes reconstitution of ports as it becomes safe to do so. The maritime community and boating public are strongly urged to track the storm’s progress and take action to protect themselves and their vessels. Extremely high seas, heavy rains, and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to the public. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:45
Effort builds to save historic legacy of sardine carrier ‘Jacob Pike’
At one stretch in Maine’s maritime history, the sardine was as mighty as the lobster, a fishery that employed thousands along the coast. Sardine canneries were a common sight beside busy harbors, and carriers plied the Gulf of Maine, especially in the warmer months. Thomaston was in the thick of the industry, a boatbuilding hub for sturdy fishing vessels that included the Jacob Pike. “The sardine industry back in the days was a big deal, rivaling what lobsters are today,” said Rockport Marine owner Taylor Allen, who himself spent several years restoring and then relaunching in 2020 the William Underwood, a sardine carrier built in 1941. “A lot of real estate along the coast was bought up by captains back in the day.” The Jacob Pike, built in 1949 at the Newbert and Wallace yard in Thomaston, was in the thick of it all from launching day. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:41
Ketchikan man charged with illegal fishing and theft of crab pots
A Ketchikan man is being charged with a series of misdemeanor and felony charges related to illegal fishing and theft of Dungeness crab pots. 47-year-old David Vest was arrested on Friday and his fishing boat, the F/V Silver Surfer, was seized by Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Troopers said they received numerous complaints from another commercial crabber that he suspected Vest and his crew were stealing his Dungeness crab pots and his catch. So a trooper camped out near Etolin Island, between Wrangell and Ketchikan, and waited for the Silver Surfer to show up. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:37
Three Rescued From Burning Vessel Off Brookings Tuesday Evening; GoFundMe Set Up For Survivor
Three people are in a San Francisco-area hospital after their fishing vessel caught on fire about 50 nautical miles off the coast of Brookings on Tuesday. According to Petty Officer Briana Carter, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District, a good Samaritan got the three survivors out of the water and transferred them to a Coast Guard vessel, which brought them to shore for care. According to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Emanuel Silveira, the Mariah K is “gone due to the engine exploding.” The campaign was created by Jaimie Ouellette, who said Silveira is his/her son-in-law. Silveira has burns covering 60 percent of his body and is expected to stay in the hospital for about three months “due to many estimated surgeries.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:33
‘We’re alright:’ Crew member recalls terrifying boat fire aboard Portland fishing vessel
A fire at sea forced the crew of a Portland fishing vessel to abandon ship Sunday night. The fishing boat “Three Girls” caught fire around 9 p.m. Sunday while the crew was getting ready to haul in their nets. They had just minutes to get into an inflatable lifeboat before the fire overtook the ship. Portland firefighters doused the fishing boat with water, then twice put foam on the smoldering fire to put it out.One crew member says the last thing he did was go into the smoke-filled cabin to grab five survival suits before abandoning ship. The fishing vessel “Three Girls” was towed into Portland Harbor Wednesday afternoon, still burning from a Sunday night fire at sea that forced the captain and crew to quickly abandon ship. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:00
F/V Second Chance hires salvage company to help get shrimp boat off the Port Aransas sandbars
It has now been three weeks since the ‘Second Chance’ shrimp boat washed up along the shore in Port Aransas, but it looks like it’s finally moving along! The boat has moved from the second sandbar of the beach and continues to try to make its way into deeper water. The Coast Guard said the boat’s crew said a salvage company has been hired to help dislodge it, although they did not yet have information on which company was hired or when the move is scheduled to begin. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:32
WWII Veteran/Retired Commercial Fisherman Charles Lee Wescott of Wanchese, NC, has passed away
Charles Lee Wescott, a 105-year-old native of Wanchese, North Carolina, departed his Earthly home in Wanchese, North Carolina, on February 21, 2024, with his family at his side. Charles was born September 27, 1918, in Gum Neck, Tyrrell County, North Carolina, the eldest child born to Theophilus Lee Wescott and Ina Cahoon Wescott. Charles joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1940 before the United States entered the WW-II efforts in 1941. During WW II, he was assigned to the U.S. Navy. Before Charles’ death, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Charles to be the oldest surviving WW-II Veteran in The State of North Carolina. Charles devoted his life to being a commercial fisherman, from which he retired. He was one of the first charter boat captains out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center in the 1950s. He owned and managed his boat, the Myrtle W., affectionally named after his wife. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:35
Descendant of salvaged Maine boat’s namesake wants to save it
After seven months of being submerged off the coast of Harpswell, the historic fishing boat Jacob Pike has finally been raised by the U.S. Coast Guard. But a descendant of Jacob Pike himself is fighting to save it from being destroyed. Sumner Rugh, a student at the Merchant Marine Academy in New York, is the great-great-grandson of Jacob Pike, the namesake of the refrigerated sardine carrier. His nonprofit, the Jacob Pike Organization, wants to refurbish the vessel and use it for education. But acquiring the boat has proven tricky, Rugh said. The Coast Guard towed the boat to Portland on Wednesday to be destroyed. Rugh asked the Coast Guard to donate the vessel to his nonprofit, but because the Coast Guard doesn’t own the boat, it can’t donate it. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:36
Coast Guard rescues 6 people after fire breaks out on commercial fishing vessel
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued six people after a boat fire led to them abandoning ship 105 nautical miles east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Sunday. The fishing vessel Three Girls, an 81-ft trawler, had four crew members, the captain, and a NOAA observer onboard. At 8:56 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Northern New England command center watchstanders received a mayday call from the Three Girls stating that the vessel was on fire and they were making preparations to abandon ship. The First Coast Guard District command center also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon from the vessel. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:25
Crawlers to Inspect Blades After Vineyard Wind Failure
Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova on Friday released a plan outlining the steps to be followed after a turbine blade failure last month at the Vineyard Wind offshore project off the coast of Massachusetts, which left potentially dangerous debris on beaches on the island of Nantucket. Vineyard Wind, the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, was shut down by federal authorities after the turbine blade failure. The plan outlines the steps to be followed to recover the remainder of the blade on the turbine. It has been developed in consultation the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard, the companies said in a statement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Three adults, two dogs rescued from beached shrimp boat in Port Aransas
A shrimp boat, called F/V Second Chance, washed ashore just north of Horace Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. The three adults and two dogs aboard the “Second Chance” boat were rescued. No injuries were reported. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, problems with the boats anchor and mechanical issues caused it to lose power which led to it washing ashore Wednesday morning. Beachgoers on Wednesday were shocked to see this sight. The Coast Guard says that the damages to the “Second Chance” boat still need to be addressed. When the investigation is complete, a plan will be put in place to remove the vessel from the beach in Port Aransas. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:17
A Fishing Vessel Ran Aground at the Sonoma Coast. Could It Have Been Saved?
It was nearing midnight and too dark for captain Chris Fox to see the land or determine how far offshore he was. But he knew he was too close. The water was shallow. The F/V Aleutian Storm was on a sandbar. Fox needed help. The engine and all other onboard systems were still working, but Fox knew he could hold the 57-ton fishing vessel only so long before the waves drove it ashore. Fox radioed the U.S. Coast Guard for help, which wasn’t immediately forthcoming—not in the way he had hoped, at least. The February loss of the Aleutian Storm is the latest controversy surrounding the Coast Guard’s local response to grounded vessels. While the details of each emergency are unique, they are viewed with similar frustration and pain by some who believe more could—and should— have been done to save them from breaking apart on land. Still, critics like veteran Fort Bragg fisherman Chris Iversen, a friend of Fox’s, sense déjà vu in the pattern of lost vessels—each briefly in a position for a possible save only to later run aground. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:34
