Coast Guard searches for missing diver near Sabine, Texas

MH-65 Dolphin ©USCG (archive)

HOUSTON — The Coast Guard is searching for a missing diver 75 miles south of Sabine Pass, Texas, Thursday.

Missing is 65 year-old Alfred Charles Lensing.

Eighth Coast Guard District watchstanders received an emergency position indicating radio beacon signal Wednesday evening from a 22-foot pleasure craft tied to an oil rig. Watchstanders contacted the person on the vessel who activated the EPIRB and learned that a second person on the vessel had gone spear fishing but did not resurface.

Involved in the search are:

• Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew
• Air Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew
• Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin aircrew
• Coast Guard Cutter Beluga crew
• Coast Guard Cutter Pompano crew

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Coast Guard assists fishing vessel taking on water near Port Aransas, Texas

MH-65 Dolphin ©USCG (archive)

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coast Guard crews assisted a fishing vessel taking on water 42 miles southeast of Port Aransas, Texas, Saturday morning.

At 8:31 a.m., the Captain Rolando contacted Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders to report the vessel was taking on water and in need of assistance.

An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew were diverted while a Station Port Aransas boat crew was launched.

Once on scene, the aircrew of the HC-144 passed a dewatering pump to the vessel.

The crew of the Captain Rolando were able to keep pace with the rate of flooding with use of the dewatering pump, and the fishing vessel is under its own power and propulsion.

The HC-144 aircrew will escort the fishing vessel as it makes way to port until relieved by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sturgeon.

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Coast Guard rescues 1, continues search for another near Port O’Connor, Texas

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coast Guard rescued one fisherman and continues the search for another near Port O’Connor, Texas, Friday morning.

Missing is a 22-year-old man, last seen wearing a red and yellow checkered plaid shirt with tan shorts and olive green waders, near Grass Island.

Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a call at approximately 7:18 a.m. from a good Samaritan who had spotted a man stranded on Grass Island.

The fisherman was rescued by a Station Port O’Connor boat crew and informed them that he and a friend became stranded after their boat drifted away. The fisherman last saw his friend attempting to swim out to retrieve their boat.

A Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and a Station Port O’Connor boat crew were launched and are actively searching for the missing man along with Texas Parks and Wildlife boat crews.

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Missing cruise ship crewmember found, rescued 21 miles north of Cuba

HC-130 Hercules, ©USCG (archive)

MIAMI — The cruise ship Carnival Glory found and rescued the missing Norwegian Getaway crewmember Sunday 21 miles north of Cuba.

The crewmember was reported is stable condition.

Reported missing Saturday, the Coast Guard launched assets including a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crews, an Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans crew search more than 1,630 square miles.

The incident is currently under investigation.

HC-144 Ocean Sentry, ©USCG (archive)

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Coast Guard rescues 9 from boat taking on water

MH-60 Jayhawk, ©USCG

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued nine people from a sinking boat approximately 115 nautical miles south of Destin, Florida, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a call at about 9 p.m. Friday that a 61-foot sportfisher boat was taking on water approximately 115 nautical miles south of Destin.

Involved in the rescue were:

• HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircrew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile was first on the scene and delivered a dewatering pump and a radio to the vessel.
• MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida, who delivered a dewatering pump and radio to the vessel.
• MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans.
• Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher, who transferred the passengers of the vessel onto the cutter and towed the boat to approximately 40 nautical miles from Destin. SeaTow then took over the tow at that point.
• Good Samaritans aboard the vessel Brace Yourself.
• SeaTow, who took over the tow of the vessel at approximately 40 nautical miles from Destin.

MH-65 Dolphin, ©USCG

Passengers of the flooding vessel were able to keep up with the flooding of the boat by manually bailing the water and using the dewatering pumps that were delivered.

All the people aboard the boat were wearing lifejackets, had two life rafts prepared, a satellite phone, an emergency position indicating radio beacon, and various sound and signaling devices. The Coast Guard was able to assist the distressed mariners due to the EPIRB being activated and the satellite phone being used to contact someone on land, and locate them due to the sound and signaling devices.

H144 Ocean Sentry, ©USCG

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A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter fly over Newport, Rhode Island, Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The aircraft flew over Coast Guard Cutter Eagle as part of the opening of the Volvo Ocean Race village. (U.S Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Andrew Barresi)

BOSTON — A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter fly over the Volvo Ocean Race Village as part of the opening of the village Tuesday, May 8, 2018, near Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. The race spans the globe with teams crossing four oceans and covering 45,000 nautical miles. 

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