COAST GUARD SUSPEND SEARCH FOR EL FARO CREW AFTER 7-DAY SEARCH

MIAMI — The Coast Guard has suspended the search for possible survivors from the cargo ship El Faro at sunset Wednesday, which is believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin.

Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard and tugboat crews searched more than 183,000 square nautical miles off the Bahamian coast in a joint effort to locate the El Faro crew.

"I have come to a very difficult decision to suspend the search for the crew of the El Faro at sunset tonight. My deepest condolences go to the families, loved ones, and friends of the El Faro crew," said Rear Adm. Scott Buschman, commander, Coast Guard 7th District. "U.S. Coast Guard, U.S Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the Tote Maritime tug crews searched day and night, sometimes in perilous conditions with the hope of finding survivors in this tragic loss"

The El Faro, a 790-foot roll on, roll off cargo ship, was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida. At approximately 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Coast Guard watchstanders were notified the El Faro was disabled in the path of Hurricane Joaquin, had lost propulsion and had a 15-degree list. The crew reported the ship had previously taken on water, but that all flooding had been contained.

The Coast Guard located a deceased person in a survival suit in the water Sunday night. A heavily damaged life boat with markings consistent with those on board the El Faro were also located Sunday. Additional items located by search crews since Thursday include a partially submerged life raft, a survival suit, life jackets, life rings, cargo containers, Styrofoam, packaged food and an oil sheen.

Crew of the SS El Faro as provided by Tote Maritime:

Louis Champa	Palm Coast, Florida
Roosevelt Clark	Jacksonville, Florida
Sylvester Crawford Jr.	Lawrenceville, Georgia
Michael Davidson	Windham, Maine
Brookie Davis	Jacksonville, Florida
Keith Griffin	Fort Myers, Florida
Frank Hamm	Jacksonville, Florida
Joe Hargrove	Orange Park, Florida
Carey Hatch	Jacksonville, Florida
Michael Holland	North Wilton, Maine
Jack Jackson	Jacksonville, Florida
Jackie Jones, Jr.	Jacksonville, Florida
Lonnie Jordan	Jacksonville, Florida
Piotr Krause	Poland
Mitchell Kuflik	Brooklyn, New York
Roan Lightfoot	Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jeffrey Mathias	Kingston, Massachusetts
Dylan Meklin	Rockland, Maine
Marcin Nita	Poland
Jan Podgorski	Poland
James Porter	Jacksonville, Florida
Richard Pusatere	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Theodore Quammie	Jacksonville, Florida
Danielle Randolph	Rockland, Massachusetts
Jeremie Riehm	Camden, Delaware
Lashawn Rivera	Jacksonville, Florida
Howard Schoenly	Cape Coral, Florida
Steven Shultz	Roan Mountain, Tennessee
German Solar-Cortes	Orlando, Florida
Anthony Thomas	Jacksonville, Florida
Andrzej Truszkowski	Poland
Mariette Wright	St. Augustine, Florida
Rafal Zdobych	Poland

The following search-and-rescue units and crews assisted with the search:

• Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
• Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews
• Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
• Coast Guard Cutter Northland, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia
• Coast Guard Cutter Resolute a 210-foot medium endurance cutter, homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida
• Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton, homeported in Key West, Florida
• Air Force Rescue Coordination Center
• Air National Guard HC-130 airplane crews from the 106th Rescue Wing, Westhampton Beach, New York
• Air Force WC-130 Super Hercules crews from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
• Navy P-8 Poseidon airplane crews from Naval Air Station Jacksonville
• Air Force E-8C Joint Stars crews from the 116th Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
• Three commercial tugboats

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Mariner Safe and Continuing Journey After Surviving Pacific Storm

HONOLULU — A mariner aboard a 24-foot sailboat 944 miles from the main Hawaiian Islands is safe and continuing his voyage to San Francisco after surviving a gale-force storm in the Pacific.

The Coast Guard suspended the search Thursday for the sailing vessel Pier Pressure after communication was established with the owner, Rimas Meleshyus.

At 5:15 p.m., Meleshyus updated his coordinates and sent a text message via satellite device stating he was ok and did not need any assistance.

Watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center received notification Thursday morning from a concerned friend that Meleshyus transmitted a text via satellite stating, “I lost my life raft, in danger now.”

Meleshyus departed Hilo, Hawaii, Feb. 9 on a solo voyage to San Francisco aboard his sailboat.

After unsuccessful attempts were made to establish communications with Meleshyus via cell phone, computer and satellite device, the Coast Guard launched a rescue mission in search of the distressed mariner.

An HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui, homeported in Honolulu, and two Good Samaritan vessels were enroute to the sailboat’s last known position when Meleshyus established communication.

The Coast Guard advises all mariners to ensure they have all necessary safety equipment aboard and that it is in working condition before heading out on the water. This includes having appropriate safety and communications equipment such as lifejackets and a working VHF radio, checking local weather conditions and ensuring the vessel is seaworthy.

Mariners who want to ensure their vessel is safe and compliant with current regulations can request a free safety check by visiting www.vesselsafetycheck.org. For more information on boating safety, visit www.uscgboating.org.

Man and boy located adrift after being swept out to sea in South Pacific

APRA HARBOR, Guam — A man and a young boy are safe after their 14-foot skiff was swept out to sea near an atoll in the South Pacific Sunday.

At 9:41 a.m. Monday, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Guam Command Center received a report from Pan-Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite of a skiff that had been swept out to sea due to high tide and poor weather near Namoluk Atoll, Chuuk. They reportedly had paddles, no motor and minimal food aboard the vessel.

Sector Guam made notifications to Federated States of Micronesia Maritime Surveillance Advisor, FSM National Search and Rescue Coordinator, Chuuk Search and Rescue Liaison, U.S. Embassy in Pohnpei and the 14th Coast Guard District Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu.

Sector Guam identified and diverted two Automated-Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System vessels in the area.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point on Oahu and a Navy P-8A Poseidon fixed-wing aircraft from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, were also launched to assist in the search.

The Ocean Pegasus, a 656-foot freight ship, and the 575-foot freight ship Verdant Island responded to the call for help and diverted at the request of the Coast Guard to assist in the search.

Tuesday morning the Ocean Pegasus located and safely rescued the 44-year-old man and nine-year-old boy. They remain aboard the Ocean Pagasus.

AMVER, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, is a unique, computer-based, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea.

The 14th Coast Guard District encompasses an area of 12.2 million square miles of the Central and South Pacific. Coast Guard aircraft based in Hawaii frequently travel thousands of miles in response to search and rescue and other calls for assistance.The Hercules is scheduled to be replaced by the HC-130J, which will bring increased capabilities to Coast Guard response across the Pacific.

UPDATE: Coast Guard Locates Overdue Maine Sailor 70 Miles South Of Long Island

BOSTON — The Coast Guard found Stephen Crane, who was reported overdue Thursday, aboard his 31-foot sailboat Austina, 70 miles south of Long Island, N.Y. Friday at 7 a.m.

A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod HC-144A Ocean Sentry crew located the vessel and confirmed with Crane that he was not in distress and did not need assistance.

Crane, 61, was sailing from Portland ME, to Fernidina, Fla., when his sister contacted Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Fla. watchstanders at approximately 1 p.m. Thursday, reporting that Crane did not arrive in Cape Hatteras, N.C., as expected Thursday.

Crews from Coast Guard Air Stations Cape Cod and Elizabeth City conducted aerial first-light searches across the 1st District and 5th District span.

Coast Guard, local responders searching for missing man after collision on Sabine Lake

HOUSTON — The Coast Guard, Port Arthur Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Department are searching for a 56-year-old man after a collision occurred between the tug and barge Father Seelos and the missing man's pleasure craft about 500 feet west of Goat Island in Sabine Lake, Sunday.

Missing is John Tran of Bridge City, Texas.

The captain of tug Father Seelos contacted Vessel Traffic Service Port Arthur at approximately 2:30 p.m. notifying them of the collision.

Coast Guard crewmembers are currently searching for the man aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Houston, and Station Sabine Pass's 25-foot Response Boat — Small and 24-foot Special Purpose Craft — Shallow Water. The Port Arthur Fire Department dive team and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Marine Division are also searching.

“We’re utilizing all efforts possible to locate the missing person,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Tidey, an operations specialist at Sector Houston-Galveston.  “We currently have two surfaces assets, an air asset, and two partner agencies conducting search and rescue operations.”

Busy Memorial Day Weekend

HOUSTON — A large influx of swimmers and boaters led to multiple search and rescue cases for Coast Guard crews and Houston-area response agencies this Memorial Day weekend.

In total, 10 search and rescue cases were logged from Friday to Monday, which tragically included four drownings. A summary of some of the efforts are:

Sector Houston/Galveston command center staff managed 10 search and rescue cases and 11 marine safety cases
Air Station Houston helicopter crews conducted more than 33 search-and-rescue flight hours
Station Freeport crewmembers conducted more than 27 search-and-rescue hours
Station Sabine towed a mariner’s disabled vessel to safety after they drifted too close to rocks near North Levy Road in Sabine Lake.
"In a two-day span the Coast Guard responded to four drowning deaths," said Lt. Spencer Roach, a command duty officer at Sector Houston/Galveston. “It is truly heartbreaking to see these patterns repeated every holiday weekend and underscores the need for constant vigilance while around the water. The Coast Guard operates the most sophisticated and accurate search-planning technology available, but even the best searches can't help you if you lack the basic safety gear such as life jackets, which will help you survive until we get there."

Many maritime incidents and deaths are preventable and with boating season well underway, the Coast Guard urges all boaters and mariners to do the following before heading out on the water:

Wear a life jacket at all times
File a float plan with family members or friends letting them know where you are headed and when you plan to be back
Check the weather prior to departing the dock
Have a marine band radio and visual distress signals on board
Have a registered 406MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
Have a Personal Locator Beacon
Do not boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Beach goers should follow additional precautions before entering the water. Don't swim alone and always swim where lifeguards are present. Pay close attention to and heed beach warning flags and signs.

For more information on beach safety, check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's site on rip currents at www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov.

For more information on boating safety please visit the Coast Guard's boating safety website at www.uscgboating.org.

Three Rescued After Night Lost In Small Boat

Trio rescued after spending night lost in Mosquito Lagoon canals

Rescue highlights importance of GPS locators

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Three people who spent Monday night lost and stranded on a 20-foot pontoon boat in Mosquito Lagoon near Oak Hill, Fla., are now safe following a rescue Tuesday evening involving a helicopter, multiple boats and several response agencies.

Rescued are Mark Hutchinson, 51, of Edgewater, Fla.; Georgia Hunt, also of Edgewater; and George Edwards, 50, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

Monday the trio took the pontoon boat from River Breeze Park in Oak Hill, Fla., to JB’s Fish Camp in New Smyrna Beach, where they had dinner, then departed JB’s on the boat to go back to River Breeze Park Monday night. But according to Hutchinson, he missed a turn due to inclement weather and eventually became lost.

Not knowing how to get back, the group wound up spending the night on the boat. Tuesday morning as they tried to find their way out of the canals of Mosquito Lagoon, the vessel ran out of fuel and the battery died. Hutchinson used a cell phone to call for help about noon Tuesday, but the cell phone battery died at 12:50 p.m. Tuesday and as a result, Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Jacksonville who had been communicating with Hutchinson in an effort to locate the trio could no longer contact him.

A Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter crew that was assisting with the search located the vessel based on the last known position of Hutchinson’s cell phone and vectored in Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and National Park Service boatcrews, which had all been searching for the group. The pontoon boat was in too shallow an area for any of the response boats, so Hutchinson, Hunt and Edwards waded through the water to board the National Park Service vessel, which was nearest to them. From there, they were transferred to Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon Inlet’s 24-foot Special Purpose Craft and taken back to River Breeze Park. All three reported no injuries and declined medical treatment.

“In similar circumstances, boaters carrying an EPIRB, a personal locator beacon or a radio with a built in GPS are located and rescued almost instantly since those tools allow us to pinpoint exactly where they are,” said William Wells of the Sector Jacksonville Command Center. “Most people don’t realize how vital that equipment is, but it really does save valuable time in emergency situations.”

When activated, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and personal locator beacons send an electronic signal which notifies the Coast Guard of a distress situation, provides a precise location and when properly registered gives responders vital details about the device's owner and vessel. The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to carry an EPIRB or personal locator beacon.

Coast Guard Pilot In Training Has Dramatic 1st Rescue

A Coast Guard aircrew stands with Maison Rickmon after rescuing
 him from South Bay near Port Aransas, Texas, May 14, 2013. His personal
 watercraft capsized and he held onto a telephone pole in the bay waiting for rescue.
 (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Maison Rickmon of Cuero was riding his personal watercraft earlier in the day when it became disabled and was capsized by waves in the bay, leaving him in the water without a life jacket. He swam to the 100-foot wooden telephone pole, where he grabbed a bolt that was sticking out and he waited.

At about 9:20 p.m., someone noticed the capsized watercraft and called the Coast Guard for help.

The Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders diverted the aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from their training mission and deployed a response boat crew from Station Port Aransas to search for a possible missing person.

The helicopter crew launched that day to work on getting one of the pilots qualified for hoist operations, but there wasn't enough time or fuel to land and switch out the pilot.

The reporting source flashed their headlights toward the capsized watercraft to vector the helicopter in. After a 10 minute search of the immediate area, the helicopter's flight mechanic spotted Rickmon partially out of the water, clinging to the bolt.

The pilot in training, Lt. Eric Vryheid, was able to maneuver close enough to deliver the rescue swimmer and complete his first rescue.

"I saw a helicopter fly by and tried to signal it with my flashlight, but it had died," said Rickmon. "Then I saw it fly past me again, slower this time, and I waved and splashed water frantically but I was tired so I couldn't splash too much. It was such a relief when I realized that the Coast Guard saw me, and when I saw the rescue swimmer being lowered from the helicopter. I knew I was being rescued."

Rickmon was transported to Sector Corpus Christi where EMS was standing by.

"I am extremely proud of my crew for their keen eye spotting the survivor and their quick action getting him out of the water to safety,” said Lt. Keith Thomas, the rescue helicopter’s aircraft commander. “It was a very challenging rescue in a confined area as there were multiple hazards in our path, such as power lines. We were also low on fuel.

“We worked very well together as a crew to conduct the challenging rescue safely and expeditiously and were able to save a life tonight," said Thomas.

“For the crew aboard the MH-65 helicopter, whose night began only as a training mission, the unexpected rescue is a testament to the skill of the members of Air Station Corpus Christi to execute the mission, even those unexpected, with proficiency,” said Capt. Samuel Creech, the commanding officer of Air Station Corpus Christi.

Coast Guard reminds boaters that they should always wear life jackets while underway, and, in addition, have flares or other signaling devices as part of their vessel’s safety equipment.

Search For Missing Boater Near Key West, Fla.

MIAMI - The Coast Guard received a distress alert from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon registered to a 39-foot Trimaran called 3/4 Time 30 miles north of Key West, Fla., early Tuesday. Coast Guard crews are searching for a man who went missing from his boat Monday from Fort Myers, Fla., and never arrived in Key West, as planned. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Coast Guard crews search for missing boater near Key West, Fla.

MIAMI - Coast Guard crews are searching for a man who went out on his boat Monday from Fort Myers, Fla., and never arrived in Key West, Fla., as planned.

Missing is Jay Rydberg, 40, of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Coast Guard received a distress alert from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon registered to a 39-foot Trimaran called 3/4 Time 30 miles north of Key West early Tuesday.

Coast Guard watchstanders contacted a friend listed as an emergency contact on the EPIRB. The friend stated that Rydberg had left from Fort Myers on Monday and was due to arrive in Key West Tuesday.
Seventh Coast Guard District watchstanders quickly launched multiple assets including the Coast Guard Cutter Marlin crew, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew, Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew and a Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater.


The Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island is scheduled to relieve the Marlin crew.
Anyone with information on Rydberg's whereabouts are asked to contact the Coast Guard at 305-415-6800.
The Marlin is an 87-foot Patrol Boat homeported in Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

The Pea Island is a 110-foot patrol boat, homeported in Key West.

Coast Guard Searching For Mariner In Blue Hill Bay, Maine

BOSTON — The Coast Guard is requesting assistance to identify a mariner in distress who made a mayday call Monday near the southern tip of Long Island, in Blue Hill Bay, Maine, west of Mount Desert Island. 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, in Portland, Maine, received a call via VHF-channel 16 at 7:43 p.m. Monday from a male individual communicating his position but did not provide the nature of his distress or the name of the vessel. 

A Coast Guard Station Southwest Harbor, Maine, 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew was immediately launched and searched throughout the night for any vessels in distress. The crew has been relieved by a 25-foot Response Boat-small.

Severe fog has hampered search efforts with visibility to 10 feet or less throughout the night. With clearing fog in the morning, search effort from the Coast Guard continue.

The Coast Guard requests that anyone who can identify the caller, or has additional information please contact the Sector Northern New England Command Center at 207-767-0303.

Coast Guard Continues Search For Missing 32-year-old Tow Boat Operator

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Coast Guard continues to search Tuesday for a 32-year-old tow boat operator after the Coast Guard received a distress alert from an emergency position indicating radio beacon near Great Egg Harbor.

Missing is David McAuliffe.

The 45-foot Sea Tow boat Cape Hatteras departed Absecon Inlet at approximately 7:45 a.m. with one person aboard and was en route to Great Egg Harbor, according to the boat's owner. At about 10:45 a.m., Coast Guard watchstanders received an EPIRB activation alert. The operator aboard the Cape Hatteras did not respond to cell phone or radio calls.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, a 45-foot Response Boat – Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May and the crew of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Finback, homeported in Cape May, and members from several local shoreline police departments are searching for the missing tow boat operator.  Members from the New Jersey State Police also assisted in the search.

It was reported Cape Hatteras had survival equipment aboard, including two survival suits and two life rafts.

Search For Missing Man 1,900 East Of Cape Hatteras, NC

Coast Guard, AMVER vessel search for missing man 1,900 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard, along with a vessel from the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System, is searching for a man Tuesday who reportedly fell overboard from the merchant vessel Daniela Bolten approximately 1,900 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

A 47-year-old man was reported missing by the master of the 494-foot Daniela Bolten at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Watchstanders at the Fifth Coast Guard District received initial notification via a satellite distress alert and through email from Rescue Coordination Center Delgada in the Azores, stating the crewmember was last seen at approximately 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Watchstanders launched a crew aboard an HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to search the area the Daniela Bolten had passed through.

Also searching are crewmembers aboard the Daniela Bolten and the AMVER vessel Maersk Virtue.