Coast Guard rescues 2 mariners off Diamond Head, Oahu

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew stands with two survivors following their rescue off Honolulu, May 4, 2019. The crew located the two men in the water holding onto the hull of their vessel, hoisted them aboard and brought them back to Air Station Barbers Point. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo/Released)

HONOLULU — Coast Guard crews rescued two mariners about nine miles southeast of Diamond Head, Saturday.​

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew located the two men in the water holding onto the hull of their 19-foot ​ recreational vessel, Smooth C's. The aircrew hoisted the 30 and 36-year-old aboard and brought them back to Air Station Barbers Point. No emergency medical services were requested.

The two men were​ returning from a cancelled race in Molokai.

“The survivors had a personal EPIRB which​ ultimately allowed the crew to locate them and hoist to safety, saving their lives,"​ said Lt. Issac Babcock, a Dolphin helicopter pilot.​“Visibility was less than one mile with​ ceilings below 200 feet and heavy rain. The initial search proved unsuccessful."

At 10:10 a.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center received a notification via radio, channel 16 VHF, from the master of the boat stating their vessel was taking on water and sinking.​ 

This call prompted the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Honolulu and the Dolphin crew as well as an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point to respond.​ 

The RB-M crew remained on scene to gather any floating debris found, such as coolers or life jackets from the vessel.​ 

Although the RB-M crew witnessed the vessel sink, a Safety Marine Information Broadcast has been issued as a precaution to alert any other mariners in the area to a possible hazard to navigation.​ There are no reports of pollution.

Weather on scene was reportedly​ winds​ of over 30 mph and seas up to 9 feet. A small craft advisory remains in effect through 6 p.m. Sunday for all main Hawaiian Islands.

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Coast Guard medevacs diver from Kauai to Oahu

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West (archive).

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard successfully medevaced a 40-year-old Japanese national from a dive boat 20-miles west of Kauai, Tuesday.

"Our trained crews and hoist-capable aircraft are vital to ensuring people reach a higher level of medical care quickly," said Brock Blaisdell, command duty officer, Sector Honolulu. "Our aircrews worked effectively with the dive boat crew to conduct the hoist, and by transferring the woman to the C-130, we were able to get her to medical care on Oahu even faster.”

An Air Station Barbers Point MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew hoisted the woman from the vessel and transported her to Barking Sands Airport on Kauai where a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing airplane crew was standing by to bring her quickly to Oahu where EMS was waiting to take her to receive higher medical care.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Billy Mapakoi (archive).

At 11:15 a.m., Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the captain of the dive boat, requesting a medevac and reporting the woman was experiencing dive-related injuries.

The weather at the time of the case was reportedly winds of about 15 mph and seas of about 6 feet.​

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Alameda-based Coast Guard cutter and crew return home for the holidays following 105-day Western Pacific Ocean deployment

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The crew aboard Coast Guard Cutter Munro returned to their homeport at Coast Guard Island on Dec. 24, following a 105-day, multi-mission deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean. 
The cutter, with an embarked MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, traveled over 17,000 nautical miles during their Western Pacific Living Marine Resources patrol. Munro’s law enforcement teams conducted 10 at-sea inspections of foreign flagged fishing vessels on the high seas to counter illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing practices in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission area. 

Under a newly signed bilateral agreement between the United States and Fiji, Munro became the first U.S. Coast Guard asset to embark a Fijian navy shiprider. 

The shiprider agreement, signed Nov. 12 by Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Suva and Fiji’s Minister of Defense Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, allows Fijian officials to board United States’ assets and conduct law enforcement from them in Fiji’s territorial waters. The agreement allows both nations to pursue common causes such as fisheries protection.

Fisheries are an important renewable source of food and income to many Pacific nations and it is in both Fiji and the United States’ interests to protect those resources from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. The agreement allows both nations to cooperate toward common goals and regional stability. 

Prior to arriving in Fiji, the cutter visited the Solomon Islands and held a rededication ceremony at a memorial to the cutter’s namesake, Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro. Munro gave his life during the Battle of Guadalcanal and is the Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient. 

“The crew worked tirelessly to execute 10 fisheries boardings, 186 flight evolutions, and dozens of boat operations in support of fisheries enforcement, which demonstrates the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard’s presence in the Western Pacific,” said Munro’s commanding officer Capt. Jim Estramonte. 

“Munro’s successful deployment paves the way for future Coast Guard Oceania patrols. Having the opportunity to bring the cutter to Guadalcanal, a place of Coast Guard lore, made the patrol even more meaningful for the crew.” 

Munro is The Coast Guard’s sixth National Security Cutter, which are capable of executing multiple national security missions, including support to U.S. combatant commanders. These Legend Class cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed in excess of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days and can hold a crew of up to 142.

The Coast Guard is scheduled to commission its seventh National Security Cutter, the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball, in the coming months. Kimball will be homeported in Honolulu, HI and will enhance the Coast Guard’s presence throughout the Indo-Pacific. 

“As the Department of Homeland Security’s sole armed service, the Coast Guard’s unique authorities, capabilities, missions, and partnerships enable us to expertly engage in the Indo-Pacific,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, The Coast Guard’s Pacific Area Commander. 

“Coast Guard Cutter Munro’s deployment demonstrates that security abroad equals security at home: enhancing our partners’ capabilities is a force multiplier in combating transnational criminal and terrorist organizations, deterring our adversaries, and protecting the United States’ interests.” 

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