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Fifth District News

22 Sep 2023

Two New Members Join SAFE Boats Board of Directors

William “Dean” Lee (Photo: SAFE Boats International)

Bremerton, Wash. based boatbuilder SAFE Boats International announced that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined its board of directors.Vice Admiral Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36-years, most recently serving as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations.

14 Dec 2022

Tanker Helps Rescue Overdue Boaters off US East Coast

A Hong Kong registered tanker assisted in the rescue of two men adrift in a sailboat off the U.S. East Coast.On Sunday, watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District command center were notified of an overdue sailing vessel, Atrevida II, which was sailing from Cape May, N.J. to Marathon, Fla. The two men aboard, 65-year-old Kevin Hyde and 76-year-old Joe Ditomasso, were last in contact with family and friends on December 3, when they departed Oregon Inlet, N.C. The Coast Guard began urgent marine information broadcasts and direct communication with commercial vessels in the area in an attempt to locate the Atrevida II. A search effort was launched, involving multiple Coast Guard aircraft and cutters, vessels from the U.S.

20 Jul 2021

VIDEO: Coast Guard Medevacs Mariner from Tanker Off North Carolina

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City conducts a medevac approximately 223 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, July 19, 2021. The 41-year-old man was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. 
(Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Breanna Centeno 
U.S. Coast Guard District 5)

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man from the CL Yingdu tanker, around 223 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Saturday. Watchstanders from the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District command center received notification that a man aboard the CL Yingdu (Ex-Maersk Tianjin) was suffering from an eye injury and needed medical attention. The command center consulted with a U.S. Coast Guard flight surgeon who recommended medical evacuation. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City were dispatched.

24 Mar 2021

Video: Ill Tanker Crewmember Medevaced off Bermuda

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

An ailing crewmember was medevaced from an oil tanker off the coast of Bermuda on Friday.Rescue Coordination Center Bermuda notified watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center in Portsmouth of an ill crewmember aboard the Malta-flagged tanker Antonis last Wednesday at approximately 1 p.m.The Coast Guard coordinated the rendezvous of two nearby commercial vessels to deliver needed medical supplies through the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue…

08 Dec 2020

Bulker Rescues Sailors Caught in Rough Seas

A sailboat became disabled after it was caught in rough weather 345 miles from North Carolina. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A bulk carrier rescued two people from a sailboat disabled by rough weather approximately 345 miles east of Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s 5th District Command Center received notification from the International Emergency Rescue Coordination Center at approximately 9:30 a.m. that a GPS alert had been received from a vessel in distress. The alert also stated that the vessel was experiencing severe weather and that both…

03 Dec 2020

Shipowner Fined $12 Mln for US Pollution Violations

Pacific Carriers Limited (PCL), a Singapore-based company that owns subsidiaries engaged in international shipping, was sentenced today in federal court before U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flanagan in New Bern, N.C., after pleading guilty to violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, obstruction of justice, and for a failure to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition on the cargo vessel Pac Antares.PCL pleaded guilty to a total of eight felony offenses across three judicial districts – the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Southern District of Texas, and the Eastern District of Louisiana. PCL was sentenced to pay a fine of $12 million…

07 Jun 2020

Injured Crewman Medevaced from Disabled Maersk Containership

A crewmember burned by an engine room blast aboard Danish-flagged Laura Maersk off the U.S. East Coast was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Norfolk, Va. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Elizabeth City)

The U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced a Maersk containership crewmember injured by an engine room blast that disabled the vessel off the U.S. East Coast.The Coast Guard said watchstanders at its Fifth District command center received a report on Thursday evening that an explosion occurred in the engine room of the Danish-flagged cargo ship Laura Maersk, which burned a crewmember and disabled the vessel.Aircrews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C.

11 May 2020

Tanker Crewman Medevaced Off Virginia

(U.S. Coast Guard photo)

A tanker crew member was medevaced approximately 400 miles off the coast of Virginia, Friday evening.Watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center were notified by a crewmember on the Marshall Islands flagged ship Arctic Flounder that a chief officer aboard had shown symptoms of a possible stroke.Aircrews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. launched to assist.Due to the extensive distance, the Coast Guard Fifth District coordinated with U.S.

07 Jan 2019

Coast Guard Coordinates Boxship Fire Response

The Coast Guard continues coordinating response efforts to ensure the safety of the crew of a container ship approximately 1,015 miles northeast of Bermuda, Monday.Saturday evening, 11 non-essential crew members were evacuated from the Yantian Express to the tugboat Smit Nicobar and Sunday morning all remaining crew were evacuated to the Smit Nicobar.The Coast Guard is currently monitoring the situation. The Smit Nicobar remains on scene providing fire fighting assistance.The commercial tugboat Maersk Mobiliser is also en route and approximately 80 miles northwest of the Yantian Express. Upon arrival, the tug's crew plans to tow the Yantian Express to Halifax…

20 Oct 2017

Rob Nakama: From USCG to Foss Maritime

Rob Nakama (Photo: Saltchuk)

Just two weeks after accepting the U.S. Coast Guard’s congratulations on a military career spanning almost three decades, Rob Nakama drove from Washington D.C. to Seattle to join Foss Maritime as the company’s Manager of Contingency Planning and Emergency Response. “I’ve been in the military for the majority of my life; the transition has been surreal,” he said. Nakama was born in Hawaii, growing up on the island of Maui as the son of a taro farmer who worked for the Aloha Poi Factory.

13 Apr 2016

US Navy Calls off Search for Missing Sailor

Official U.S. Navy file photo

U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard assets ended the search April 12 for a missing sailor assigned to USS Carter Hall (LSD 50). The sailor was reported missing April 9 while the ship was conducting routine training operations in support of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Composite Training Unit Exercise, approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The Navy immediately initiated search and rescue operations. Various Navy and Coast Guard helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft participated in the 72-hour search that covered more than 22,388 square nautical miles.

03 Feb 2016

Woman Medevaced from Cruise Ship East of Cape Hatteras, NC

The Coast Guard medevaced a 61-year-old woman Monday from a cruise ship 230 miles east of Cape Hatteras. Fifth Coast Guard District watchstanders received a report at 1 p.m. stating a woman aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway was found unconscious. An MH-65 helicopter crew and C-130 aircraft crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City launched to medevac the woman at 2 p.m. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 3:50 p.m. and transferred the woman to the helicopter. The helicopter crew arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va., at 6 p.m where the woman was transferred to awaiting EMS personnel in stable condition. "We were very pleased with our crew's ability to hoist the woman from the cruise ship and deliver her safely,” said Thomas A.

28 May 2014

USCG Medevacs Man From Cruise Ship Off NC Coast

The Coast Guard medevaced a 64-year-old man yesterday from a cruise ship approximately 160 miles east off Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Crewmembers aboard the Carnival Splendor, a 950-foot cruise ship, contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday, notifying them a man was experiencing chest pains and in need of medical attention aboard the ship approximately 450 miles southeast of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Fifth District watchstanders contacted the Carnival Splendor, requesting the ship alter course toward North Carolina, and they agreed to conduct the medevac Tuesday morning when the Carnival Splendor would be close enough for a Coast Guard helicopter to respond. At approximately 5 a.m. Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to assist.

26 Mar 2014

Cruise Passenger Medevaced off N.C. Coast

USCG video screen capture

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a 35-year-old man Tuesday from a cruise ship approximately 180 miles east of Nags Head, N.C. The captain of the 965-foot cruise ship Norwegian Gem notified watchstanders at the Fifth District Command Center at 2:21 p.m. stating a passenger was in medical distress. Coast Guard watchstanders launched crews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to assist. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at approximately 5 p.m., hoisted the passenger and took him back to the air station.

19 Mar 2014

Video: USCG Medevacs Man from Cruise Ship

Image: USCG

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said it medevaced a 66-year-old man Wednesday from a cruise ship approximately 50 miles east of Wilmington, N.C. after receiving reports that the man was in medical distress. The USCG’s video can be seen here: Coast Guard Medevacs 66-Year-Old Man From Cruise Ship off North Carolina Coast. Personnel aboard the 950-foot cruise ship Carnival Splendor notified watchstanders at the Fifth District Command Center of the man’s condition at approximately 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.

14 Mar 2014

Compatibility of CO2 Extinguisher Components

Figure 1: The obsolete diffuser on the right is cast differently than diffusers used today.  Note the longer neck and placement of diffuser holes.  The newer diffuser on the left is compatible with standard discharge hoses and has a shorter neck to allow it to properly seat when the hose is connected.  See Figure 3 for how to determine if you have a CO2 extinguisher fitted with an obsolete diffuser that may be incompatible with standard industry discharge hoses.

A recent marine casualty investigation of a shipboard fire onboard a U.S. flagged vessel in the Hampton Roads Captain of the Port (COTP) zone raised serious concerns with regards to carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguisher servicing. During shipboard fire-fighting operations a crewmember attempted to fight a fire using a 15lb CO2 extinguisher, but the extinguisher failed to properly discharge and only seeped from the neck of the extinguisher. The fire was eventually extinguished by another crewmember using a dry-chemical fire extinguisher. Following this shipboard fire, U.S.

15 Aug 2013

Brudzinski Selected as USCG Chief Judge

Judge Walter J. Brudzinski

Judge Walter J. Brudzinski has been selected for the position of Chief, Administrative Law Judge, U.S. Coast Guard. In this capacity, Chief Judge Brudzinski will provide supervision and administration of the Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge program. Judge Brudzinski has more than 16 years of experience as an Administrative Law Judge and has been with the U.S. Coast Guard since 2003. Prior to his initial Administrative Law Judge appointment in 1996 with the Social Security Administration…

03 Nov 2010

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – November 3

1883-The keeper and crew of the Smith’s Island Station, Virginia (Fifth District), saw a small schooner flying a signal near Isaac Shoal, five miles away from the station. They went out to her and found on board the captain of a sloop that wrecked the night before several miles from land. He had succeeded in swimming to a bar near the beach, where he was picked up by the crew of the schooner. Finding him suffering from exposure they signaled for assistance. The lifesaving crew applied bottles of hot water and resuscitated him. They then landed him in the surfboat and cared for him for six days until he was sent to his home. 1997- The Coast Guard announced plans to disconnect 18 fog signals…

19 Oct 2010

This Day in Coast Guard History – October 19

1881-The sloop Zulu Chief with four passengers and a crew of two men struck the bar off Hog Island Inlet, Virginia at a point about half a mile from the beach. The accident occurred at 11 o’clock am in plain view of the crew of Station No. 9, Fifth District, on Hog Island. They launched the surfboat and went to the sloop’s assistance. She was pounding heavily and lay in a very dangerous position. The life-saving crew went to work without delay and carried out her anchors and succeeded in saving the vessel. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

02 Nov 2009

This Day in Coast Guard History – Nov 3

883-The keeper and crew of the Smith’s Island Station, Virginia (Fifth District), saw a small schooner flying a signal near Isaac Shoal, five miles away from the station. They went out to her and found on board the captain of a sloop that wrecked the night before several miles from land. He had succeeded in swimming to a bar near the beach, where he was picked up by the crew of the schooner. Finding him suffering from exposure they signaled for assistance. The lifesaving crew applied bottles of hot water and resuscitated him. They then landed him in the surfboat and cared for him for six days until he was sent to his home. 1997- The Coast Guard announced plans to disconnect 18 fog signals…

15 May 2002

Vice Admiral Hull To Lead USCG Atlantic Area

The U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Fifth District and Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic Command will welcomed a new commander during a change-of-command ceremony 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday . Vice Admiral James D. Hull will relieve Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen, who is taking the position of Chief-of-Staff for the Coast Guard. Admiral James M. Loy, Commandant U.S. Coast Guard, and Navy Vice Admiral Albert H. Konetzni, Jr., Deputy and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Fleet are scheduled to preside. Hull comes to the Atlantic Area Command from his assignment as Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District.

18 Oct 2009

This Day in Coast Guard History – Oct. 19

1881-The sloop Zulu Chief with four passengers and a crew of two men struck the bar off Hog Island Inlet, Virginia at a point about half a mile from the beach. The accident occurred at 11 o’clock am in plain view of the crew of Station No. 9, Fifth District, on Hog Island. They launched the surfboat and went to the sloop’s assistance. She was pounding heavily and lay in a very dangerous position. The life-saving crew went to work without delay and carried out her anchors and succeeded in saving the vessel. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

21 Jan 2005

Rep. LoBiondo: How Can We Prevent Another Oil Spill?

Chairman Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-2) precides over a hearing into the cause of the recent oil spill on the Delaware River. Chairman LoBiondo heard testimony from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Departments of Environmental Protection from both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Maritime Exchange from the Delaware Bay and River, and the New Jersey Audubon Society. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-2), Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee…