Coast Guard SAR

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News Release
Date: December 13, 2010
Contact:  District 14 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard Cutter Assateague
assists crew of disabled vessel



HONOLULU — Crewmembers from Coast Guard Cutter Assateague assisted four people aboard a disabled vessel in the vicinity of Rota, Guam, Sunday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Guam received a distress call at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, from the Rota Department of Public Safety reporting a possible disabled vessel.

The call came after the master of the 25-foot recreational boat JP, contacted Rota’s 911 services via cell phone requesting immediate assistance. Rota DPS officials obtained the vessel’s name, length, general location, and nature of distress.

The Coast Guard Cutter Assateague, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Apra Harbor, and U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 both launched to locate the vessel.

Coast Guardsmen in the Sector Guam Command Center worked with Rota DPS and local cell phone provider iConnect to help triangulate the distress call and narrow the search area.

Crewmembers aboard HSC-25 located the JP about 6:30 p.m and directed the Assateague to them.

All four mariners were taken aboard the Assateague, and the vessel JP was towed to Rota. The vessel and its crew were later transferred to Rota DPS. All four people aboard the JP were found safe with no reported injuries.

The Coast Guard reminds mariners that cell phones should not be relied on as a primary means of emergency communication. Cell coverage off shore is not reliable and provides one-on-one communication. The Coast Guard recommends all mariners carry a VHF radio. Emergency broadcasts should be made on VHF channel 16 which can be received by all vessels or emergency responders within transmission range.   

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News Release
Date: December 16, 2010
Contact:  District 5 Public Affairs
    
Air Station Elizabeth City
responds to crewman injured off Bermuda



ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — The Coast Guard medavaced an injured crewmember off the Turkish flagged merchant vessel Askabat approximately 400 miles northeast of Bermuda, Thursday morning.

The 31-year-old male chief officer of the vessel broke his arm and was bleeding heavily from an open wound, according to the notification from the Rescue Co-ordination Centre Bermuda at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules and a MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crews from Air Station Elizabeth City were launched Wednesday morning to assist in the recovery of the injured man. Due to the distance involved, both assets landed in Bermuda to refuel.

Hazardous weather conditions of 40-50 mph winds and 12-15 foot seas kept the aircraft grounded throughout the night, and the medevac was postponed until the following morning.

At approximately 5:40 a.m. Thursday, the helicopter crew hoisted the chief officer from the vessel and flew the injured man to waiting Emergency Medical Service personnel in Bermuda for treatment.

“What went really well was the excellent coordination between Bermuda RCC Rescue Co-ordination Center, Coast Guard District Five, Coast Guard Atlantic Area and Air Station Elizabeth City personnel to effect the rescue despite changing, challenging weather conditions and changes to the timeline of the rescue itself,” said Lt. Greg Dahl, a MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter pilot from Air Station Elizabeth City. “Coast Guard personnel and the personnel at the airport assisted with a couple maintenance issues we had ...  The coordination between all the people involved made it successful. Everyone worked very well together.”

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News Release
Date: December 21, 2010
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard assisting disabled
fishing boat off Long Island



NEW YORK — The U.S. Coast Guard has sent a cutter and a rescue helicopter crew to assist a disabled fishing boat approximately 50 miles south of Shinne****, N.Y., Tuesday Dec. 21, 2010.

The fishing boat Neskone, which has eight people onboard, contacted Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound at about 4:30 p.m. Monday, reporting mechanical difficulties, which caused the boat to be disabled and adrift at sea.

An early morning attempt was made by a sister fishing boat, the Polaris, to rendezvous with the Neskone and take the disabled boat in tow.  Polaris arrived on scene at approximately 2 a.m., however, they were unable to establish a tow due to rough weather conditions.

The Coast Guard helicopter crew is currently enroute to drop off needed mechanical parts.  The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane, which was scheduled to arrive on scene at about 3:30 p.m., plans to establish a tow and bring the disabled fishing boat to New Bedford, Mass.

The Neskone still has a working generator onboard and its crew is reportedly in good spirits, despite 30 knot winds and 15-foot seas.

The Neskone is an 84-foot scallop vessel homeported in New Bedford, and has a working Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) onboard in case it loses radio communication with the Coast Guard.

The cutter Harriett Lane, homeported in Portsmouth, Va. is 270-foot medium endurance cutter, that was conducting a patrol in the area when it diverted to assist.

The rescue helicopter, an MH-60J is homeported in Cape Cod, Mass.

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News Release
Date: December 22, 2010
Contact:  District 11 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard responds to beached vessels



SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Coast Guard is responding to a pollution threat caused when two sailing vessels went aground on East Beach, Tuesday morning.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Santa Barbara personnel responded to a 25-foot sailboat and a 50-foot sailboat that were beached by the rough weather at about 5 a.m.

A light sheen was reported as crews work to offload about five gallons of diesel fuel from the smaller boat while a commercial crew has been hired to remove as much as 250 gallons of fuel from the larger vessel.

As the California coast continues to see heavy rainfall, the Coast Guard reminds boaters to keep a watchful eye on their vessels.  This inclement weather can cause boats to break loose of their moorings or become swamped from the rain, causing fuel and oils to spill into the water.

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News Release
Date: December 22, 2010
Contact:  District 7 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard searching for possible survivors of
downed helicopter off Rio Grande, Puerto Rico



SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard is assisting local emergency responders Tuesday in the search for possible survivors from a Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter crash in waters off the northern coast of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Monday night.

The Coast Guard received notification Monday evening from the Puerto Rico National Guard Army Aviation unit of a missing UH-72 Lakota helicopter carrying six people.

The helicopter reportedly was transporting four Puerto Rico National Guardsmen and two attorneys from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, who departed Monday night from the Isla Grande Airport en route to the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the missing soldiers and public service attorneys on the disappearance of their loved ones," said. Capt. Marc Stegman, Sector San Juan acting commander.

Puerto Rico National Guard authorities requested Coast Guard assistance in locating the missing aircraft.

A Coast Guard Station San Juan 45-foot response boat crew located the helicopter debris field at approximately 1:30 a.m. Tuesday off the coast of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Coast Guard rescue crews have been searching since Monday night aboard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico,  Coast Guard Station San Juan 45-foot response boats and the Coast Guard Cutter's Reef Shark and Farallon.

Emergency responders from the Puerto Rico National Guard, Puerto Rico maritime police, Puerto Rico Emergency Management and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice are also searching.

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News Release
Date: December 31, 2010
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews, good
samaritan aid sinking commercial fishing vessel



OWL’S HEAD, Maine — U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews and a good samaritan aided a commercial fishing vessel crew after abandoning their sinking boat east of Owl’s Head State Park, Friday, Dec. 31, 2010.

Coast Guard Sector Northern New England watchstanders received report that the fishing vessel Miss Jill was sinking at 8:40 p.m. and three mariners were abandoning their vessel to embark a life raft.

Coast Guard Station Rockland rescue crews launched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat to the last reported location. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued by watchstanders alerting any boats in the vicinity to provide assistance.

A 30-foot fishing vessel, the Rising Sun, was in the immediate area and plucked the mariners in their life raft from the water.

"It's fortunate the Rising Sun crew was close by to assist the mariners," said Chris Berry, a Coast Guard Sector Northern New England operational unit controller. “This shows the great camaraderie of a tight-knit maritime community.”

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News Release
Date: January 04, 2011
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
The Miss China is towed from Brant
Point to the local pier in Nantucket



NANTUCKET, Mass. — The Miss China is seen beached at Brant Point Dec.29, 2010. The Miss China ran aground after a storm came through the area.

In the photo above right, a tug tows the Miss China to port Jan. 3, 2010 after it was beached on Brant Point during a storm. Crews from the Coast Guard and the local harbormaster were on scene to ensure the safety of everyone involved with the tow. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class James Rhodes, U.S. Coast Guard.

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News Release
Date: January 05, 2010
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard, first responders
rescue tug crewmember near Kingston



NEW YORK — A Coast Guard crew and local first responders worked together to rescue an injured tugboat crewmember near Kingston, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2011.

An engineer aboard the tug Barbara McAllister reportedly suffered a leg injury and was stuck in the engine room while en route to Albany, N.Y., in the Hudson River.

Coast Guard Sector New York’s Search command center dispatched the cutter Wire to Kingston, where the crew took on members of the Kingston Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services to assist in the rescue.

After successfully getting the engineer aboard the Coast Guard cutter, the injured man was brought to Kingston Point, where he was transferred to local EMS for additional treatment. The cutter Wire is homeported in Saugerties, N.Y.

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News Release
Date: January 25, 2011
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
CGSTA South Portland responds to
vessel fire near Chebeague Island



PORTLAND, Maine — The Coast Guard is currently responding to a vessel fire in between Great Chebeague Island and Crow Island in Portland Harbor Jan. 25, 2011.

Coast Guard Station South Portland received a call at 11:24 a.m., from the Cumberland County Fire Department that the 65-foot fishing vessel was on fire.

Station South Portland launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat and a 25-foot rescue boat which arrived on scene around 12:05 p.m. The city of Portland Fired Department is on scene as well.

The Coast Guard is currently providing a safety zone around the vessel and will be monitoring for a pollution threat. There does not appear to be an environmental threat at this time.

After speaking with the owner of the vessel, it was determined that no one was aboard.

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News Release
Date: February 11, 2011
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard rescues five fishermen
from grounded Kodiak-based vessel



KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued five fishermen from the Kodiak-based 68-foot fishing vessel Midnite Sun which ran aground 36 miles northwest of Kodiak Friday morning.

Francisco Jackson, 50, Clint Parks, 45, Michael Hintz, 28, William Kingery, 21, all Kodiak residents and Levi Russell, 20, residence unknown, were on board when their vessel grounded.

The Sea Warrior crew reported hearing the initial mayday call via marine VHF radio channel one, which is not monitored by the Coast Guard, and relayed the call to the Coast Guard on channel 16 at 12:13 a.m. reporting the Midnite Sun had run aground on Tanaak Cape.

“The mayday relayed from the crew of the Sea Warrior was invaluable,” said Lt. Michael Anderson, Sector Anchorage command center supervisor. “Without the help of the Sea Warrior we may never had know that the crew of the Midnite Sun was in need of rescue. The Sea Warrior did a outstanding job.”

The helicopter crew was launched at 1:17 a.m., arrived on scene at 1:38 a.m. and flew the fishermen to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak with no injuries reported.

The Midnight Sun reportedly has 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board. A Coast Guard helicopter with inspectors from Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak is scheduled to conduct an overflight this morning to assess the condition of the vessel and potential environmental impact.

The Coast Guard and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation are working with the owner of the vessel to address a potential environmental response and salvage operation.

The weather at the time of the incident was reported as 52 mph winds with 18 to 20 foot seas.

Marine VHF radio channel 16 is the universal hail and distress frequency to contact the Coast Guard in an emergency.

News Release

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News Release
Date: February 14, 2011
Contact:  District 17 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard medevacs man from
fishing vessel north of Cold Bay



KODIAK, Alaska — A Kodiak-based HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, forward-deployed to the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau, conducted a medevac of a 40-year-old male from the 280-foot processor fishing vessel Golden Alaska 46 miles north of Cold Bay Monday.

Nery Arriaza, hometown unknown, was reportedly suffering from severe chest pains when the captain of the Golden Alaska contacted the Coast Guard via satellite phone at 9:12 a.m. requesting a medevac. The Dolphin crew launched from the cutter at 11:57 a.m. and arrived on scene safely hoisting Arriaza at 12:17 p.m.

"Since the start of February, Air Station Kodiak crews have saved 18 lives in some of the harshest weather conditions you can imagine for flight," said Lt. j.g. Edward Michno, a 17th District Coast Guard search and rescue controller.  "As a search and rescue controller, it's amazing to see the performance and results of our fellow Coast Guardsmen."

The helicopter crew arrived in Cold Bay at 1:30 p.m. and transferred Arriaza to a emergency medical flight services to Anchorage for further medical care.

The weather at the time of the medevac was reported as 23 to 29 mph winds with six foot seas. The 378-foot cutter Morgenthau is homeported in Alameda, Calif.

News Release

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News Release
Date: February 16, 2011
Contact:  District 7 Public Affairs
    
District 7 units searching for downed
aircraft off New Smyrna Beach, Fla



JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Coast Guard and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office are responding to reports of a downed single engined aircraft near New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Wednesday.

The Coast Guard was notified at approximately 6:40 p.m. Wednesday that a fixed-wing single engine aircraft was seen spiraling towards the sea approximately 150-yards off of Bethune Beach in Volusia County.

A Coast Guard 47-foot rescue boat crew from Station Ponce de Leon Inlet, the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher and Volusia County Air One helicopter air crew are responding.

News Release

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Fairhope family mourns 2 brothers
lost in Gulf boating accident



FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Randy Dowsey gave his wife her Valentine’s Day present on Friday morning, before he left for the family’s fishing camp in Venice, La.

"I told him, ‘Randy, you’re going to be back on Sunday. You can give it to me after that.’ But he insisted," said Donna Dowsey, Randy’s wife of 39 years, as she sat in the kitchen of her Danne Road home among a half-dozen relatives Monday evening.

Also, last month, he bought her a new car — their first off-the-lot vehicle purchase in their frugal financial life.

"Now I’ve got a new car in the driveway and an early Valentine. I don’t know if he felt like he wasn’t going to make it," Donna Dowsey said.

Randy and his older brother Dwayne "Wayne" Dowsey were two of the four people who died in a boating accident Saturday morning after their sport fishing boat capsized in the chilly Gulf of Mexico, south of the mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana.

Wayne Dowsey, 61, owned the heating, air conditioning and plumbing company Dowsey Inc. in Fairhope, and Randy Dowsey, 58, retired from Alabama Power last year after working for the company 36 years.

Also dead in the accident were Kerri Burns, 33, also of Fairhope and Kenny Mock, 58, of Metairie, La. Burns was a friend of Wayne’s, and Kenny Mock was an old friend of the brothers because his Venice fishing camp neighbored their own, family members said.

The lone survivor was 33-year-old Heath Dowsey, Randy’s son.

Donna Dowsey said Heath had told her that there were only four life jackets on the boat, and five passengers. While the three others took their jackets, father and son argued about the fourth.

"He threw his dad the last one and Randy gave it back to Heath. They went back and forth three or four times. Heath said ‘Dad, I’m strong enough to survive without this," and Randy said ‘You’re the one who has to live. You have a child to raise.’"

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the group left the Dowsey family’s fishing camp at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday and entered the Gulf through the South Pass of the Mississippi.

The boat was about two or three miles south of the mouth of the river when one of vessel’s two engines shut down between 7:30 and 8 a.m.

When the men went back to inspect the engine, they noticed water coming into the boat. After the men decided to shut down the second engine, water began filling the boat more quickly, and within seconds, the boat capsized, throwing everyone into the water. Officials said Monday that the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Donna Dowsey said that Heath Dowsey pulled himself up onto the capsized hull and put out his hand for his father.

"Heath was trying to pull him up, but Randy wouldn’t put his hand up. He knew that if he did that, Heath would get pulled down into the water with him," she said. "He tried, but he just couldn’t hold on to the boat and he started going down," she said. "To his dying breath, his first priority was his kids."

The brothers were avid outdoorsmen who sometimes took part in searches for missing sportsmen in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, family members said.

Joint services for the brothers will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday in the chapel of Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home in Fairhope. Graveside services will follow at Memory Gardens of Fairhope.

The brothers are survived by their parents, Beth Ring of Fairhope and Paul J. Dowsey of Silverhill, and brother Mark T. Dowsey of Fairhope.

Harold Dwayne Dowsey is survived by his daughter, Tiffany Copeland, and two grandchildren of Point Clear.

Randall Horace Dowsey is survived by his wife, Donna; sons Brent and Heath Dowsey; and four grandchildren.

Coast Guard medevacs survivor
Original Article

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News Release
Date: February 22, 2011
Contact:  District 1 Public Affairs
    
U.S. Coast Guard crews safely
tow fishing vessel to Boston


A U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca crewmember hands over a crate of supplies including food and water to the crew of the disabled fishing vessel Meridian during a tow towards Boston, Feb. 21, 2011. The Meridian’s captain reported that the generator was having mechanical issues and the vessel was without power. U.S. Coast Guard photo

BOSTON — U.S. Coat Guard Cutter Seneca crews towed the fishing vessel Meridian safely back to Boston, Feb. 22, 2011.

Rescue crews brought the Meridian crew to President Roads deep-water anchorages at 7:30 a.m., concluding a 35-hour operation.


U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca tows the disabled fishing vessel Meridian towards Boston, Feb. 21, 2011. The Meridian’s captain reported that the generator was having mechanical issues and the vessel was without power. U.S. Coast Guard photo

The Meridian contacted Coast Guard watchstanders after becoming disabled 40-mile east of Rockland, Maine, Feb. 19, 2011. Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle, a 110-foot patrol boat, arrived on scene and deemed the sea conditions too dangerous to take the 80-foot fishing vessel in tow.

The Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, a 270-foot High Endurance Cutter, arrived on scene February 20th and took the vessel in tow at 8:10 p.m. for the transit to Boston.

News Release

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News Release
Date: February 28, 2011
Contact:  District 5 Public Affairs
    
Coast Guard searches for missing
person near Knotts Island, NC



KNOTTS ISLAND, N.C. — The Coast Guard is searching for a 35-year-old woman with blond hair, yellow shorts and a black t-shirt who went missing Monday in the vicinity of Knotts Island.

The missing woman was reported to have been on a boat with two other people when it capsized at approximately 11:00 a.m.

At 4:45 p.m., a good Samaritan pulled two of the people from the water and notified Currituck County Dispatch, who then called Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector North Carolina.

A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Air Station Elizabeth City and a Coast Guard rescue boat from Station Elizabeth City were dispatched to look for the missing woman, along with the Currituck County fire department and local volunteers.

News Release