Rescue and recovery tales from around the country and beyond. In this edition, a trio of medevacs, a Coast Guard safety shutdown and a vessel that loses steering.
Gulf & South Atlantic
The Coast Guard medevaced a 57-year-old man on Friday, May 4, from a fishing boat 97 miles east of St. Catherines Sound, Ga.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard command center in Charleston, S.C., were called by a crew member aboard the 72-foot Lady Helena who said another crew member was suffering from chest pains.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew was dispatched from Savannah and arrived at 9:12 a.m. The crew hoisted the crew member and transported him back to the air station, where emergency medical services were waiting.
A 41-year-old fisherman was medevaced from the F/V Angela Marie after fracturing his foot about a mile from Grand Isle, La., on Thursday, May 24.
Coat Guard watchstanders in New Orleans called for a shallow-water boat crew from Grand Isle. The crew transferred the patient in stable condition to waiting emergency medical services in Grand Isle.
Northeast
The Coast Guard medevaced a 51-year-old man who was having difficulty breathing 65 miles off Atlantic City, N.J., on Sunday, May 6.
A crew member aboard the F/V Settler called watchstanders at Delaware Bay and a helicopter crew was launched from Atlantic City to respond. The man was hoisted and taken to Atlantic City Trauma Center.
The Coast Guard Sector New York is responding to a report of a collision at sea May 12, 2018, involving the loaded tankship Tofteviken and the commercial fishing vessel Polaris. Photo courtesty of U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York.
Coast Guard officials responded to a collision between a 790-foot oil tanker and an 84-foot scallop boat about 30 miles southeast of Bridgehampton, N.Y., on Saturday, May 12.
The scalloper Polaris, managed by Eastern Fisheries of New Bedford, Mass., suffered damage to its bow and outrigger but was able to make it back to port safely. None of its seven crew members reported injury.
Alaska
The Coast Guard Cutter Mellon terminated the voyage of the F/V Nushagak Spirit near Dutch Harbor on Monday, May 14, after boarding the boat and discovering several safety issues and environmental concerns.
Coast Guard officials boarded the Nushagak Spirit three miles east of Umnak Island where they discovered one fishing violation, 14 safety violations and the improper discharge of bilge water. Specifically, the vessel's master admitted to pumping water from the bilge over the side of the vessel, a violation of the Clean Water Act.
The fishing violation was for the captain not keeping a proper logbook.
The safety violations consisted of three life rings that were missing retro tape, nine fire extinguishers that required inspection and missing waste management and safety plans.
“We perform at-sea safety inspections to ensure mariners are operating in compliance with commercial fishing vessel safety and environmental regulations,” said Capt. John Hollingsworth, 17th District incident management branch chief, in a press release. “These regulations help ensure the safety of life at sea and protect our marine environment.”
Pacific
The Coast Guard assisted four Dungeness crab fishermen aboard the 45-foot Miss Jessie a half-mile west of Table Bluff, Calif., the evening of Monday, April 30.
The Miss Jessie made the call to watchstanders at Humboldt Bay around 5:30 p.m., reporting their boat had lost steering in 10-foot seas and 30-mph winds just outside the breaking surf.
The Coast Guard launched a helicopter and a 47-foot lifeboat from Humboldt Bay. The helicopter arrived on scene and monitored the Miss Jessie until the lifeboat arrived.
The boat crew towed the Miss Jessie across the bar to Woodley Island Marina, where they moored up around 9 p.m. Monday.
The Miss Jessie crew did not report any injuries.
