Coast Guard cutter assists disabled boat

A rescue and assistance team from Coast Guard Cutter Decisive repairs a disabled vessel’s engine January 16, 2020. Coast Guard Cutter Decisive escorted the vessel to St. Andrews Marina in Panama City, Florida, January 18.
Coast Guard courtesy photo.

NEW ORLEANS— Coast Guard Cutter Decisive assisted a disabled vessel offshore Mobile, Alabama, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report at 7:23 a.m. Friday that the 52-foot vessel, Sava, was disabled and adrift with four people aboard approximately 82 nautical miles south of Cape San Blas, Panama City, Florida.

Sector watchstanders directed the launch of an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile and diverted Coast Guard Cutter Decisive to assist the vessel.

The aircrew arrived on scene at 9:57 a.m., located the vessel and established communications.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Decisive arrived on scene at 7:27 p.m. Friday, launched a rescue and assistance team and were able to repair the vessel’s engine.

Coast Guard Cutter Decisive escorted the vessel to shore.

The vessel safely anchored near St. Andrews Marina in Panama City, Florida, at 8:15 p.m. Saturday.

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Coast Guard responds to diesel discharge from semi-submerged tugboat in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina

The semi-submerged tugboat Miss Bonnie sits in the water after alliding with the Old Bonner Bridge and is responsible for the potential maximum discharge of 6,000 gallons of diesel, Nov. 18, 2019, in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. The cause of the allision is currently under investigation. 

U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet.

OREGON INLET, N.C. — The Coast Guard is responding to a discharge of diesel from a semi-submerged tugboat in the vicinity of the Old Bonner Bridge in Oregon Inlet, Monday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received the report of a sheen by a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet at approximately 10:00 a.m., which was reported to be leaking from the tugboat Miss Bonnie.

The tugboat allided with the Old Bonner Bridge on Nov. 17, 2019, at 11:09 a.m.

The maximum potential for the discharge is 6,000 gallons; however, it is estimated 3,000 gallons were onboard. The responsible party has deployed 200 feet of sorbent boom and 175 feet of containment boom around the vessel.

The responsible party is scheduled to deploy secondary ocean boom tomorrow, as well as conduct salvage operations once on-scene weather permits.

There have been no reports of impacts to wildlife at this time. The channel currently remains open to all vessel traffic.

The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Scientific Support Coordinator to identify the most likely trajectory of the discharged diesel to determine necessary mitigation strategies for the preventative impact to environmentally sensitive areas.

Pictured is the diesel spill resulting from the semi-submerged tugboat Miss Bonnie, Nov. 18, 2019, in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, which allided with the Old Bonner Bridge on Nov. 17, 2019. The cause of the allision is currently under investigation. 

U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet.

“Protecting the marine environment is a top priority for the Coast Guard,” said Capt. Bion Stewart, commander of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina. “We are overseeing the responsible party’s actions to mitigate environmental impacts resulting from the discharge and to remove the vessel when it is safe to do so.”

Involved in the response are:

• Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Marine Safety Detachment
• PCL Construction
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Scientific Support Coordinator
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
• National Parks Service

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

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Coast Guard assists 3 near Clearwater, Florida

A Coast Guard Station Sand Key 45-foot Response Boat—Medium boatcrew assisted three people on a vessel taking on water 15 miles west of Clearwater, Florida, Oct. 12, 2019. The boatcrew escorted them safely back to Seminole Boat Ramp in Clearwater and provided assistance dewatering the 23-foot Seafox vessel. 

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Patrick Brown.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Coast Guard assisted three people on a vessel taking on water 15 miles west of Clearwater, Florida, Saturday evening.

A Coast Guard Station Sand Key 45-foot Response Boat—Medium boatcrew arrived on scene to remove two passengers and begin dewatering the 23-foot Seafox vessel.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a distress call on channel 16 at approximately 4:55 p.m. of the vessel taking on two gallons of water a minute and the pumps unable to keep up.

The passengers and vessel were safely escorted to the Seminole Boat Ramp in Clearwater.

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Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane fires commemorative shot near Fort Sumter​

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane fired a commemorative shot Thursday to honor the 158th anniversary of its namesake’s action near Fort Sumter.

On April 11, 1861, United States Revenue Cutter Harriet Lane made history by firing the first naval shot of the Civil War. Cutter Lane fired across the bow of the merchant steamship Nashville. Nashville was attempting to enter Charleston Harbor without displaying a flag indicating its nationality. Congress merged the Revenue Cutter Service with the United States Lifesaving Service in 1915 to form today’s United States Coast Guard.

The crew of the​ Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane​ sails past​ Fort Sumter​ near Charleston, South Carolina, May 30, 2019. Harriet Lane's crew fired a blank round in order to honor the​ 158th anniversary​ of when its predecessor​ of the same name fired the first naval shots of the Civil War. Coast Guard Auxiliary photo by John Swink.

The cutter Harriet Lane, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter, is returning to its homeport of Portsmouth, Virginia after conducting a successful 80-day counter-narcotics patrol of the Caribbean Sea. The cutter saved the lives of two mariners in distress, conducted several boardings on the high seas, and seized 2,069 pounds of cocaine valued at $27 million.

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Coast Guard rescues 2 from capsized sailboat, 65 miles east of New Jersey

MH-65 Dolphin, U.S. Coast Guard photo by crew of CGC Willow (archive).

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson, a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Cape May, New Jersey, approaches a capsized 55-foot wooden sailboat about 65 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 29, 2019. An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, rescued two mariners, who they found clinging to the capsized boat’s hull. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy, Cutter Lawrence Lawson).

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Coast Guard crews rescued a man and woman from a capsized sailboat about 65 miles east of Atlantic City late Wednesday night.

The Coast Guard’s Fifth District Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, was notified of the vessel’s distress after receiving an alert from the crew’s Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon.

Watchstanders called the emergency contact registered with the EPIRB, who said the mariners have been sailing around the world for the past few years on the 55-foot wooden-hull sailboat, Bertie, and the last leg of the trip had been from the Bahamas to New York City.

The vessel was outside of range for VHF and cell reception, so watchstanders directed the Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson, an Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130 Hercules airplane crew to the EPIRB’s location, where the sailboat was found capsized.

“When our helicopter arrived on-scene, the crew followed a blinking strobe light and discovered a man and a woman clinging to the hull of their capsized sailboat," said Lt. Tyler Bittner, the operations duty officer in Atlantic City.

Both mariners were hoisted aboard the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and brought back to Air Station Atlantic City, where they were met by awaiting EMS.

The Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson remained on scene to mark the sailboat and attempt to recover the EPIRB.

"This was an extremely challenging hoist due to on-scene conditions, but the entire crew came together to work as a team to get the job done," said Lt. Anthony Monteforte, one of the helicopter pilots on the case. "I am extremely proud of my crew and all of the other assets that aided in this rescue and thankful that the survivors onboard used a currently registered EPIRB so that we could quickly locate them."

HC-130 Hercules, U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Corinne Zilnicki (archive).

Cutter Lawrence Lawson, U.S. Coast Guard photo by Eric D. Woodall (archive).

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Coast Guard rescues 2 men, 3dogs near Poplarville, Mississippi

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans rescue two men and three dogs who were stranded in a vehicle on a bridge near Poplarville, Mississippi, due to rapidly rising river flooding May 12, 2019. The aircrew arrived on scene at 4:30 a.m., hoisted the two men and the dogs and transported them to awaiting emergency medical services at a nearby farm field in stable condition. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued two men and three dogs near Poplarville, Mississippi, Sunday.

Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans received a report from Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office at approximately 2:10 a.m. of two men and three dogs stranded in a vehicle on the McNeill McHenry Ville Highway overpass near Poplarville​ due to rapidly rising river flooding.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to assist the people and the dogs.

The helicopter launch was delayed until 3:46 a.m. due to weather conditions.

The aircrew arrived on scene at 4:30 a.m., hoisted the two men and the dogs and transported them to awaiting emergency medical services at a nearby field in stable condition.

“We faced torrential rain, lightning and low visibility but, thanks to our training, we were able to safely transport the two men and the dogs to safety,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Johannel Mejia, an aviation maintenance technician at Air Station New Orleans. “It’s times like this, when we’re able to make an impact on someone’s life, that makes this job so fulfilling.”

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