Air Station Port Angeles News

A commercial fishing vessel that sank Saturday near San Juan Island, Wash. is spilling oil, the U.S. Coast Guard said.All five crewmembers from the sinking Aleutian Isle were rescued by a Good Samaritan, and no injuries have been reported.The 49-foot vessel sank with approximately 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel and a combined 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid and lubricant oil aboard, according to the Coast Guard. A sheen has been observed spanning more than two miles and was reported to have entered Canadian waters as the vessel continues to release small amounts of diesel.At approximately 2 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cuttyhunk (WPB 1322) was decommissioned Thursday during a ceremony held at Air Station Port Angeles that was presided over by Capt. Mark McDonnell, 13th Coast Guard District Chief of Response.Cuttyhunk was one of the Coast Guard's 37 remaining 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. The fleet of Island-class cutters is being replaced by 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters built by Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards.Built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La.

A U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced a woman from a containership off the Washington coast Saturday after she was having difficulty breathing and experiencing temporary unconsciousness.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a call at 11:30 a.m. from the ship’s health insurance provider stating the 65-year-old woman required medical attention.At the time, the 710-foot container ship, Matson Kodiak, was transiting westbound in the Strait of Juan…

A cruise ship passenger who went overboard near the Strait of Juan de Fuca has been pronounced dead.The U.S. Coast Guard said the 73-year-old male was unresponsive when he was recovered by a helicopter rescue crew from the water near the west coast Canada/U.S. border.The overboard passenger was transferred to local Emergency Medical Service personnel waiting on shore and then to the Olympic Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased.Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound Command…

A Coast Guard boatcrew was hit by a green laser light while underway near the Squalicum Harbor area of Bellingham, Wednesday night, ending a valuable training opportunity due to medical concerns. The crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat - Medium, from Coast Guard Station Bellingham, had to return to base and a backup boatcrew had to be called to stand the remainder of the watch. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified of the incident by the affected boatcrew at 8:30 p.m. The incident cancelled the scheduled routine operations with a helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles. "Boat and helicopter operators can be temporarily blinded by green laser lights during night operations," said Cmdr. Brian Meier, Sector Puget Sound Response Department head.

The Coast Guard rescued six people in three separate search-and-rescue cases Saturday along the Washington and Oregon coastline. On Saturday morning, the Coast Guard rescued three people near Coos Bay, Oregon when their boat overturned. On Saturday evening, two kayakers were stranded between Hope Island and Whidbey Island, Washington when their kayaks capsized and required assistance. Additionally, a 58-year-old man was retrieved from the water after falling from D dock at the Port of Ilwaco, Washington. At approximately 5 p.m., Saturday, a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report from 911 dispatch of a male and female kayaker who capsized on the northeast side of Whidbey Island between Whidbey and Hope Islands.

Coast Guard personnel rescued two fishermen from a 28-foot recreational vessel when it became stranded with a disabled engine and grounded due to shoal water near Everett Wednesday night. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles hoisted the men and transported them safely to Paine Field in Snohomish County. Dispatchers from 911 transferred a call for help to watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound at 1:25 p.m. Sector watchstanders issued a Marine Assistance Request Broadcast and contacted other local agencies to tow the vessel, but none were able to respond due to shallow water. The aircrew launched in response and arrived on scene at 8:10 p.m.

A fisherman struck and injured by a parted line was medevaced south of San Juan Island and transported to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles, Wash. Thursday morning. He is in stable condition. The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced the injured fisherman after watchstanders in Puget Sound received a radio call from the captain of the fishing vessel Mr. Wonderful at about 7:40 a.m. reporting the injury. The fisherman was wounded when a line parted, snapped back and hit him in the upper body. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Wahoo was underway in the vicinity of the incident and arrived on scene at 8:12 a.m. An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched to perform the medevac.

A crewmember aboard containership Horizon Tacoma was medevaced by a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) aircrew near Port Townsend, Wash., Saturday. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles hoisted the man and transported him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the 700-foot ship’s master contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, in Seattle, requesting assistance for a 72-year-old crewmember reportedly suffering chest pain. The crewman is in stable condition. The aircrew launched at 12:25 p.m., arrived on scene and completed hoist operations at 12:40 p.m.

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a crabber reported overdue near Anacortes, Wednesday. Dean Harvey, 48, of Bremerton, remains missing. Search crews spent 24 hours completing a total of 24 searches that covered a 909 square mile area with no signs of Harvey. “Suspending the search for a missing person is one of the most difficult decisions we must make,” said Cmdr. Brian Meier, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Mr. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles located an overturned and aground vessel reportedly matching the description of Harvey’s near the southeast corner of Lopez Island around 9 a.m. The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Adelie towed the vessel to shore.

Stonington, Conn. – The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its Annual Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. Honoring the heroic efforts performed in the Pacific Northwest over the past year and recognizing the service of those who enforce maritime law…

1850- The wreck of Ayrshire on Squan Beach N.J. 201 of 202 persons on board were saved by the life car. First use of the life car in the U.S. 1923- Title "Commandant" was authorized for the service head of the Coast Guard. This officer was to be selected from the active list of line officers not below grade of commander. 1961- Two Coast Guard craft from the Cape Disappointment Lifeboat Station [LBS], CG-40564 and CG-36454, answered a call for assistance from the 38-foot crab boat Mermaid, with two crew on board, which had lost its rudder near the breakers off  Peacock Spit. CG-40564 located the Mermaid and took her in tow. Due to adverse sea conditions the crew of CG-40564 requested the assistance of CG-52301 "Triumph…

1918-There was an explosion at the T.A. Gillespie Company munitions yard in Morgan, New Jersey. Coast Guardsmen from Perth Amboy responded. When fire threatened a trainload of TNT, these men repaired the track and moved the train to safety, thus preventing further disaster. Two Coast Guardsmen were killed in this effort. 1956-Two U.S. Air Force F-89 aircraft crashed in rugged mountain terrain about four miles from Mount Olympus, Washington. For seven days, the Coast Guard directed a highly coordinated search for the lost plane and crews. Finally, aircraft and helicopters from the CG Air Station, Port Angeles, Washington, assisted by aircraft and ground search elements from other services, located and evacuated the two crew members on 5 October.

1850- The wreck of Ayrshire on Squan Beach N.J. 201 of 202 persons on board were saved by the life car. First use of the life car in the U.S. 1923- Title "Commandant" was authorized for the service head of the Coast Guard. This officer was to be selected from the active list of line officers not below grade of commander. 1961- Two Coast Guard craft from the Cape Disappointment Lifeboat Station [LBS], CG-40564 and CG-36454, answered a call for assistance from the 38-foot crab boat Mermaid, with two crew on board, which had lost its rudder near the breakers off  Peacock Spit. CG-40564 located the Mermaid and took her in tow. Due to adverse sea conditions the crew of CG-40564 requested the assistance of CG-52301 "Triumph…

Three people are alive tonight after their 58-foot fishing boat capsized in the Hood Canal near Foul Weather Bluff, forcing them to abandon ship and take refuge onboard their small skiff. The Coast Guard received a call from a nearby pleasure craft shortly after the fishing vessel Martle had capsized. The Kodiak, Ala. based Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, operating in the area, was diverted to the scene and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles was launched to the scene. A Coast Guard patrol boat operating in the area was dispatched and the Alex Haley resumed its original course. A rescue boat from North Kitsap Fire and Rescue also launched to the scene. The master of the vessel, Ed Einarson of Blaine, Wash.

The Coast Guard is searching for a Columbia River bar pilot who fell from a container ship near Astoria, Ore., Monday evening. The pilot fell overboard, while climbing down the ladder from the 558-foot merchant vessel Dry Beam to a Columbia River pilot vessel. The Coast Guard launched two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Astoria, shortly after receiving the report Monday night. The 47-foot motor lifeboats searched for an hour before returning to the station due to severe weather conditions. The Jayhawk searched for the man until 12:30 a.m., before they too had to return due to heavy rain and fog that limited visibility to less than 100 feet.

Six people are safe after battling an early morning fire today on a 56-ft. commercial fishing boat 1 mile west of Richmond Beach near Edmonds, Wash. The crew of the tugboat Samish reported to Coast Guard Sector Seattle that the fishing vessel Carol M was on fire and was in need of assistance. Coast Guard Station Seattle dispatched a 41-ft. utility boat and Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to assist. The Seattle Fire Department fireboat Chief Seattle and two Seattle Harbor Patrol units also responded to the fire. The crewmembers of the Carol M and the Tug Samish were able to fight the fire until the Chief Seattle arrived and contained the fire at about 11 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard responded to a mayday call at 7:40 p.m. that was sent out by a 406-megahertz EPIRB or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The signal was positioned 3 Nautical Miles S.W. of Race Rocks in Canadian waters. The EPIRB allowed rescue personnel to quickly locate the capsized trimeran, the "Red Shift" and her crew of four. A Coast Guard HH-65A Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles and the Coast Guard Cutter Osprey were dispatched to respond to the mayday signal of the EPIRB. The Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene to find three of the crew sitting on the capsized vessel with a fourth trapped inside. The rescue swimmer was lowered from the helicopter into the water. He then assisted the trapped man from the cabin.