Coast Guard SAR

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News Release
Date: July 06, 2010
Contact:  District 9 Public Affairs

Coast Guard searches
for missing swimmer in Lake Erie

CLEVELAND — The U.S. Coast Guard and other local agencies are searching Lake Erie, only a few miles off Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, this morning for a woman who has been missing since Thursday night.

Missing is Emma Nahas, 20 or 21 years old, last seen wearing an orange bathing suit.

The Coast Guard was notified at about 8:30 p.m. by the Cleveland Police Department, who received a 911 call concerning the missing woman.  It was reported that passengers on a 24-foot recreational vessel returned to port after boating to find Nahas missing.  There had originally been 10 aboard the vessel and they reported last having seen her 2-3 miles north of 55th Street, in downtown Cleveland.  Initial reports indicate that she was not wearing a lifejacket.

The Coast Guard directed the immediate launch of search crews aboard a 41-foot utility boat (UTB) from Station Cleveland Harbor and an HH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter from Air Station Detroit.  The UTB crew was relieved at 4:47 a.m. by a Station Cleveland Harbor 25-foot response boat-small (RB-S) crew.  The RB-S crew was joined by a UTB crew again this morning, and both boatcrews continue to search at this time.

The helicopter crew was forced to return to the air station due to reaching crew fatigue limits, but another Dolphin rescue helicopter crew has arrived on scene this morning to search.

Coast Guard crews were assisted last night by crews aboard search boats from the Cleveland Police Department and the Cleveland Fire Department.  A boatcrew from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is assisting this morning.

Although federal regulations require that mariners merely maintain personal flotation devices onboard their vessels, the Coast Guard advises that mariners wear lifejackets at all times while underway.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 11, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Coast Guard saves four from
burning Kodiak fishing vessel


CLICK PHOTO FOR VIDEO ONE                                CLICK PHOTO FOR VIDEO TWO

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Coast Guard rescue crews responding to an emergency position-indicating radio beacon rescued four fishermen after their Kodiak-based 52-foot long-lining fishing vessel Nakat, was engulfed in flames, five miles off of Sitkinak Island 80 miles southwest of Kodiak, Sunday.

The Seventeenth District Command Center received the automated emergency alert from the Nakat at 8:29 a.m. and immediately launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak.  The Coast Guard aircraft arrived on scene at 10:20 a.m. and found the Nakat on fire.  The Hercules crew quickly located a life raft more than two miles away from the burning vessel and and the Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the four crewmen with no injuries reported.



“The use of the EPIRB was instrumental to having been able to rescue the fishermen,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Ernst, Sector Anchorage Command Center watchstander.  “It appears the crew had no time to make a mayday call and without the EPIRB we may have never known that they were in trouble and in need of rescuing."

The four fishermen were taken to the air station in Kodiak.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time and under investigation.

Videos and photos
News Release

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News Release
Date: July 11, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Coast Guard responds to vessel
aground south of Ketchikan



ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Salvage and response crews were unable to re-float the the 47-foot pleasure craft Scrimshaw that was left aground by low tide in Annette Bay off of Annette Island south of Ketchikan Sunday.

Coast Guard response crews from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan have placed sorbent containment boom around the vessel to minimize any environemntal impact from the approximately 400 gallons of fuel reported aboard.

A salvage plan is being established by the owner and the salvage company to remove the vessel from the rocks.

The Scrimshaw with two people aboard was at anchor in the bay when the retreating tide left the vessel aground.

Coast Guard crews are monitoring the continued response and clean up efforts.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 12, 2010
Contact:  District 8 Public Affairs

Coast Guard rescues
fisherman near Rollover Pass



HOUSTON — The Coast Guard rescued a man who was stranded and clinging to a piling after he waded too far from shore while fishing near Rollover Pass, Texas, Monday.

A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received the initial report from the Galveston County Sheriff Department.  The dispatcher said the man's head would occasionally dip below the water as he tried to hang on. 

Search and rescue coordinators at the Sector dispatched a Coast Guard MH65-C Dolphin rescue helicopter, which arrived at the scene just after 2 p.m.

A rescue swimmer was lowered into the water to try and free the fisherman, who had become tangled in fishing line while he clung to the piling.

He was hoisted into the helicopter and transported to University of Texas Medical Branch.     

"This is what we go to swimmer school to do, so it's always fun to be able to get in the water for a rescue," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brad Pigage, the rescue swimmer who aided the fisherman. 

The man was not treated for any injuries.

The video was shot by Galveston County Pct. 7 Constable William Comeaux.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 15, 2010
Contact:  District 8 Public Affairs

Coast Guard and local agencies are
searching for an overdue fisherman

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard is searching for a 32-year-old man who reportedly went missing while fishing in Lake Bourdeaux near Dulac, La., Thursday.

The Coast Guard received a call from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Department at approximately 12:30 a.m., today, requesting assistance in searching for Courtney Butler, when he did not return home after a fishing trip.  Butler's 14-foot green aluminum-hull fishing boat was located by the TPSD near the Dulac Bridge this morning.

Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans launched an MH-65C dolphin rescue helicopter and crew to assist the TPSD and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the search.  An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was also issued to advise mariners in the area of the ongoing search efforts.

The LDWF is also conducting an investigation into this incident.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 15, 2010
Contact:  District 8 Public Affairs

Coast Guard working to free
grounded tanker in Galveston


Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston and the Texas General Land Office are preparing to oversee the lightering and salvage of the chemical tanker Isabel Knutsen, a 523-foot ship that ran aground in the southeastern corner of the intersection of the intracoastal waterway (ICW) and the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) Tuesday. The tank ship is carrying approximately 15,183 metric tons of cyclohexane, a solvent often used in the production of nylon, and approximately 663 metric tons of fuel oil. The vessel is currently stable, structurally intact, and not discharging any oil or cargo. Vessel traffic continues as normal on both the HSC and the ICW. Two tugboats unsuccessfully attempted to free the ship this morning, which became stuck after reportedly losing steering just before 6 a.m.

GALVESTON, Texas — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston and the Texas General Land Office are preparing to oversee the lightering and salvage of the chemical tanker Isabel Knutsen, a 523-foot ship that ran aground in the southeastern corner of the intersection of the intracoastal waterway and the Houston Ship Channel Tuesday.

The tank ship is carrying approximately 15,520 metric tons of liquid chemical cargo and approximately 663 metric tons of fuel oil. The vessel is currently stable, structurally intact, and not discharging any oil or cargo. Vessel traffic in the region continues as normal.

Tugboats unsuccessfully attempted to free the ship which became stuck after reportedly losing steering just before 6 a.m. yesterday morning.

"The U.S. Coast Guard responded immediately when the Isabel Knutsen ran aground yesterday. There is currently no pollution associated with the grounded vessel and the waterways remain open. Attempts to refloat the vessel have been unsuccessful. We will now oversee the lightering of the ship's cargo to refloat the vessel, ensure the safety of the crew and prevent any environmental impacts," said Commander Jim Elliott, commanding officer of Marine Safety Unit Galveston.

Lightering is a process that reduces the tank ship's weight by transferring some of its cargo to another vessel. Coast Guard personnel, the Resolve Marine Group and ECM Maritime Services are creating a comprehensive lightering plan that will allow the chemical tanker's cargo to be transferred without causing pollution.

The cause of the grounding is under investigation.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 15, 2010
Contact:  District 7 Public Affairs

Coast Guard rescues woman caught
in rip current off South Carolina coast


Ann Baxter, 51, of Hilton Head receives medical treatment from
EMS personnel at Hilton Head International Airport aboard a Coast
Guard HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter Thursday July 15, 2010.

HILTON HEAD, S.C. — A Coast Guard search and rescue team from Air Station Savannah, Ga., rescued a woman Thursday after she was caught in rip current off the coast of Hilton Head.

Rescued was Ann Baxter, 51, of Hilton Head.

Baxter was swimming when rough surf and currents carried her more than a mile off-shore.

At approximately 10:40 a.m. the Beaufort County Sheriff’s office notified Coast Guard watchstanders of a possible person in the water.

An HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew deployed to search for the person and located Baxter at approximately 12 p.m. Baxter was hoisted from the water via rescue basket and transported her to Hilton Head International Airport where emergency medical personnel were awaiting her arrival. She was reported to be in stable condition.

The Coast Guard would like to remind the public about the dangers of rip currents. Rip currents are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore and can happen at any beach.

If caught in a rip current:

•  Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly
•  Never fight against the current
•  Swim out of the current parallel to the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle away from the current towards shore
•  If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards shore
•  If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself by waving your arms and yelling for help

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 16, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Four Alaska boats request Coast Guard
support, two rescued in Cook Inlet


The crew of a Kodiak-based MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter prepare to rescue the two crew of the sunken 34-foot Homer-based fishing vessel John Henry 14 miles southwest of Kalgin Island in Cook Inlet Thursday, July 15, 2010. A Kodiak-based HC-130 Hercules aircraft also responded to the sinking, arriving on scene first, locating the crewmembers and the John Henry and marked the scene with smoke flares for the helicopter crew

JUNEAU, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew safely hoisted two people off the 34-foot gill netter, John Henry, homeported in Homer, after it started taking on water in Central Cook Inlet Thursday around 8 p.m.

Eric Olsen and Leah Lansdowne, ages and hometown unknown, made a radio call reporting they were taking on water which was relayed by the crew of the Shadow Line to the Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center.

However, when the Coast Guard crews arrived on scene they were no longer in distress utilizing pumps and making their way back to Homer.  The Coast Guard proceeded to the vessel Gizmo also reportedly taking on water near Kalgin Island.

Shortly after the Gizmo case was resolved and determined Coast Guard support was not needed, the Coast Guard was notified by the master of the John Henry reporting their vessel was sinking.  The Coast Guard immediately diverted a Jayhawk along with a C-130 Hercules aircraft to their location.  Once on scene the Coast Guard hoisted the two crewmembers prior to the vessel capsizing.


Coast Guard members stand with Eric Olsen and Leah Lansdowne rescued off the vessel John Henry that was sinking in the vacinity of Cook Inlet Thursday, July 16, 2010. This case happened amid three other taking on water cases involving the vessels C Gull, Gizmo and Indigo, all in Southcentral Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard photos by Air Station Kodiak

Olsen and Lansdowne were reported in good condition, taken to Homer and didn’t request medical assistance.

An overflight of the capsized vessel is scheduled to be conducted by a Hercules aircraft Friday to determine if the vessel has sank and any possible pollution in that area.

Throughout the night, the Coast Guard responded to four different vessels requesting Coast Guard assistance including the vessels Indigo and C Gull.  No other rescues were needed.

Weather on scene was 15 mph winds, 3-foot seas and good visibility.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 19, 2010
Contact:  District 5 Public Affairs

Coast Guard, good Samaritans
rescue fishermen in Pamlico Sound



OCRACOKE, N.C. — Coast Guard crews and good Samaritans rescued three fishermen after their fishing vessel began taking on water and sank Monday in the Pamlico Sound northeast of the Brant Island Shoal.

Crew from the Good Samaritan fishing vessel, Miss Kelly, relayed a mayday call to Sector North Carolina watchstanders at 6:10 a.m., Monday that the 58-foot commercial shrimper, Cracker Boy, was taking on water, and the water level was already above the engines. One fisherman from the Cracker Boy was transferred to the Miss Kelly while the other two remained aboard.

Two 25-foot Response Boat – Small crews from Station Ocracoke and Station Hobucken, Station Hobucken 41-foot Utility Boat crew, and Station Hatteras Inlet 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew launched to assist.

The Station Ocracoke RB - S crew arrived on scene at 7:16 a.m. and used dewatering pumps to try and keep up with the flooding. Another good Samaritan, 50-foot fishing vessel, Morning Star, arrived at the same time and attempted to tow the Cracker Boy but was unable.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Matt Harris from Station Hatteras Inlet was aboard the sinking vessel when a wave came over the boat.

The roll was slow, and Harris never felt like he was in any danger, said Chief Petty Officer Arnold Head, executive office in charge of Station Hatteras Inlet.

The vessel quickly sank after taking the wave and rolling.     

The remaining two fishermen and Harris were rescued by the Station Hobucken RB – S crew and Station Hatteras Inlet RB – S crew then transferred the fisherman to the Morning Star. The crewmember from the Miss Kelly also transferred to the Morning Star whose crew took them to Pamlico Point.

The vessel Cracker Boy sank in position 35 degrees 09.74 minutes north latitude and 076 degrees 14.84 minutes west longitude in approximately 20 feet of water. The Station Ocracoke RB - S crew has marked the sunken vessel with a buoy.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 19, 2010
Contact:  District 5 Public Affairs

36 childeren rescued when
storm capsizes sailboats



MANASQUAN INLET, N.J. — Local police with the assistance of the Coast Guard rescued 36 children, ranging in ages from 7 to 16,  from the water after approximately 25 to 30 small sailing boats capsized in the back bay of Shark River, N.J., during a two-week sailing camp Monday.

The Coast Guard received a call at 10:36 a.m. from Monmouth County dispatchers reporting the sailing vessels capsized due to weather.

A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet arrived on scene and acted as on-scene commander for communications while Avon-by-the-Sea and Belmar Police departments assisted in the rescue of the camp group.

All 36 children were wearing life jackets.

No injuries have been reported.

"We work together. We train together, and when it comes to cases like this everyone knows what everyone is going to do, and nine times out of ten, we achieve the goal that we want," said Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Martin, officer of the day at Station Manasquan Inlet.

News Release

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Photo Release
Date: July 21, 2010
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs

Good samaritan vessel responds to
a vessel fire near Provincetown, Mass.



PROVINCETOWN, Mass — A good samaritan tries to extinguish a vessel fire while a Coast Guard HH-60
Jayhawk helicopter circles above.  The fire occurred six-miles north of Provincetown, Mass., July 21, 2010.
The three mariners from the burning vessel were recovered by the good samaritan vessel.

Photo Release

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News Release
Date: July 19, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Fishing vessel Polar Star
refloated, enroute Kodiak

PHOTOS OF GROUNDED VESSEL

JUNEAU, Alaska — The crew of the 58-foot Kodiak-based fishing vessel Polar Star was able to repair the hull and refloat the vessel in Geographic Harbor around 12 a.m. Friday after running aground Tuesday morning in Shelikof Strait.

The Polar Star crew reported to Coast Guard Sector Anchorage that their vessel had gone aground on the southern side of the Alaskan Peninsula 65-miles west of Kodiak. The Polar Star was moved to the shelter of Geographic Harbor where the crew then intentionally grounded the vessel on the beach at high tide to be able to make a temporary repair to the hull at low tide.

Lightering operations were conducted Thursday removing approximately 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel from the Polar Star to help refloat the vessel.

With temporary repairs complete, the Polar Star is being towed from Geographic Harbor to Kodiak by the crew aboard the fishing vessel Atlantico.  The Polar Star is scheduled to arrive at the port in Kodiak Friday evening where further repairs to the hull will be made.

The cause of the grounding is not known but Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak will be investigating.

The Polar Star is a seiner fishing vessel and can carry up to 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board.  No pollution or injuries have been reported.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 24, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Coast Guard medevacs elderly woman
from Sitka-based fishing vessel

JUNEAU, Alaska — A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter aircrew from Air Station Sitka safely medevaced a 83-year old woman reportedly suffering from symptoms of a stroke off the Sitka-based 44-foot fishing vessel Annie B in the vicinity of Gedney Harbor 53 miles southeast of Sitka Saturday at 5:15 a.m.

The woman was medevaced by the Coast Guard after the 17th Coast Guard District command center in Juneau received a call from a crewmember aboard the Annie B at approximately 11:18 p.m. Friday requesting a medevac.

After the Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended the woman be medevaced, the helicopter rescue crew was launched at 4:45 a.m.

The crew of the Annie B transported the woman ashore in a skiff for further transport by the Jayhawk rescue crew at 5:15 a.m.  The aircrew then transferred her to awaiting emergency medical service personnel at Air Station Sitka. She was then transported to Sitka Community Hospital at 5:45 a.m.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 24, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Coast Guard searches for
man in Cleveland Harbor



CLEVELAND — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a man in the water near Cleveland Browns Stadium after it was reported he went swimming off his vessel and did not surface at approximately 2 p.m., July 24, 2010.

Coast Guard rescue crews from Station Cleveland Harbor launched a 25-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S) and crews from Air Station Detroit launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to search for the man.

It was reported the man had not been wearing a life jacket.

Rocky River Police and the Cleveland Fire Department are aiding in the search.

The Coast Guard urges the public to recreate safely on the water by wearing life jackets.

For more information or media inquiries, contact the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at 216-902-6020.

News Release

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News Release
Date: July 25, 2010
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs

Coast Guard performs medevac
200 miles south of Sitka




A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60T Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew medevacs a 55-year-old male reportedly suffering from chest pains aboard the 905-foot U.S. flagged tanker Alaskan Explorer 200 miles south of Sitka July 25, 2010. The Coast Guard medevaced Winfred Opare after a Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended he be medevaced due to his condition. (USCG photos by PO3 Charly Hengen)

ANCHOARGE, Alaska — Coast Guard rescue crews from Air Stations Sitka and Kodiak medevaced a 55-year-old male reportedly suffering from chest pains aboard the 905-foot U.S. flagged tanker Alaskan Explorer 200 miles south of Sitka at 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

Winfred Opare, hometown unknown, was hoisted safely after the 17th Coast Guard District command center in Juneau received a call from the captain of the Alaskan Explorer requesting the medevac.

After a Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended Opare be medevaced, a HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew launched from Kodiak at 9:55 a.m. and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew launched from Sitka at 10:30 a.m.

Both Coast Guard aircrews rendezvoused with the Alaska Explorer at 12:15 p.m. and Opare was safely hoisted aboard the Jayhawk while the Hercules flew overhead providing communication support and a safety watch.

Opare was transported aboard the Jayhawk to Ketchikan and safely delivered to awaiting emergency medical personnel at 2 p.m. for further transport to Ketchikan General Hospital.

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