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Fort Macon News

18 Jun 2021

US Coast Guard Decommissions Two Patrol Boats

USCGC Aquidneck (Photo: Jason Zalasky / U.S. Coast Guard)

After more than 30 years of active service, U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boats USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309) and USCGC Adak (WPB 1333) were decommissioned in a ceremony aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Tuesday.Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, was in attendance to honor the years of service Aquidneck, Adak, and their crews, provided to the Coast Guard.“Thank you to every single crew member who has ever served aboard Aquidneck and Adak, from the plank owners to the final crew and all the crews in between,” Poulin said.

30 Mar 2020

Coast Guard Corrals Wayward Buoy in Long Island Sound

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oak (WLB-211) sits at anchor. The Newport, Rhode Island-based buoy tender maintains 144 Aids to Navigation (ATON) that guide mariners into some of the oldest and busiest ports in the U.S., including Boston, Massachusetts; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Portland, Maine. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Emily E. Torsney)

Built to guide mariners through safe waters, the Valiant Rock Lighted Whistle Buoy 11 was dangerously adrift in the Long Island Sound.When ferry operators traveling between Orient Point and Fishers Island, New York, first reported the buoy off station on Jan. 17, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oak (WLB-211) was already underway but foul weather kept the cutter from removing it.This was the beginning of a two-week saga that would involve several Coast Guard units. Like the Loch Ness monster of the Long Island Sound, the 35-foot-tall green buoy was occasionally seen but hard to catch.

31 Dec 2018

Coast Guard Assists Sailing Vessel 50 Miles off NC

U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Richard Snyder

The Coast Guard saved three mariners aboard a disabled sailing vessel more than 50 miles east southeast of Cape Lookout, Saturday evening.At 9:45 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received notification of the 36-foot disabled sailing vessel Cloud from Sea Tow. All persons aboard the sailing vessel had donned their life jackets and there were no injuries or medical concerns aboard.The Coast Guard launched Coast Guard Cutter Richard Snyder to assist, and diverted…

17 Nov 2016

Cargo Ship Runs Aground off US East Coast

North Carolina’s Beaufort Inlet Channel has been temporarily closed Thursday after a 590-foot cargo ship ran aground between buoys 16 and 17 in the channel. Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a call via landline at 1:15 p.m. that the bulk carrier Pola Palekh ran aground. The Malta-flagged vessel is carrying 35,800 metric tons of fertilizer and holds approximately 27,000 gallons of fuel oil. No injuries, pollution or damage to the ship have been reported. Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued a safety marine information broadcast and launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon to assess the cargo ship and the channel. The acting Captain of the Port for Sector North Carolina, Cmdr.

19 Jan 2015

USCG Rescues Two Near Beaufort

U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Corps helicopter crews rescued two people and a dog Sunday from a grounded sailboat near Beaufort. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington received a call at approximately 11:50 a.m. from the operator of the 22-foot sailboat Serendipity who stated the boat was grounded and being taken over by waves near the number 15 buoy in Beaufort Inlet. Sector North Carolina personnel issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City to the scene. A Marine Corps HH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crew from Air Station Cherry Point arrived on scene first and hoisted a man with a heart condition from the grounded vessel. The crew placed him in the care of awaiting EMS at Fort Macon.

20 Jul 2014

USCG Medevacs Woman South of Atlantic Beach, NC

The Coast Guard medevaced a 57-year-old woman Sunday approximately 14 miles southwest of Atlantic Beach. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington received a call from the operator of the 27-foot vessel Poseydon Dive at approximately12:15 p.m., reporting a woman aboard was suffering from seasickness and losing consciousness. Personnel from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew to assist. The MLB crew arrived on scene, placed the woman on oxygen and transferred her to the MLB. While transiting back to the station, a second boat crew aboard a 25-foot Response…

11 Mar 2014

USCG, Cargo Vessel Rescue 3 Boaters

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCH) and a Good Samaritan merchant vessel rescued three boaters Tuesday approximately 35 miles south of Fort Macon, N.C., the Coast Guard reported. At noon USCG Sector North Carolina command center watchstanders received a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16 from the operator of the sailboat Reel Safe, reporting they were taking on water. Sector watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and diverted a crew aboard a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter who were conducting training in the area to assist. The captain of the 485-foot cargo ship Islandia received the UMIB and diverted the ship to assist. The Islandia arrived on scene at approximately 1 p.m. and rescued the three boaters who had abandoned their vessel.

08 Nov 2013

Coast Guard, Navy Busy off U.S. Atlantic Coast

The Coast Guard, with the assistance of the Navy, saved four lives and responded to a total of five sailboats in distress off the Atlantic Coast Thursday and Friday. Coast Guard assets and personnel involved in Thursday and Friday's search, rescue and vessel assists were crews aboard two HC-130 Hercules airplanes and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Block Island, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Atlantic Beach, N.C., a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet, N.C., and the command center personnel of the 5th Coast Guard District and Sector North Carolina.

05 Nov 2013

Man Rescued from Liferaft 20 Miles from Atlantic Beach

Coast Guard crewmembers use a boat hook to pull in a empty life raft after rescuing a man who abandoned his sinking sailing vessel ( U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Alyssa Petty)

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a 51-year-old Jay White aboard a liferaft Tuesday after the man abandoned his 28-foot sailboat, Dove, 20 miles south of Atlantic Beach, N.C. White contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders at approximately 7:15 a.m. via a mayday call on a VHF-FM marine radio stating that his boat was taking on water. Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and dispatched crews aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon…

22 Oct 2013

Likely Distress Hoax Call: Coastguard Seek Information

Lines of bearing v. reported location: Map courtesy of USCG

The Coast Guard is investigating a possible hoax call after multiple Coast Guard assets and partner agencies responded to a distress call that was made via VHF-FM channel 16, Sunday at approximately 2:45 a.m. near Beaufort, N.C. As part of this investigation, the Coast Guard is seeking the public’s assistance to identify the caller or provide additional information. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders received a mayday call Sunday via VHF- Channel 16.

10 May 2011

USCG Reorganizes Sector North Carolina

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a final rule reorganizing Sector North Carolina.  Effective immediately, the headquarters for Sector North Carolina is moving from Fort Macon to Wilmington.  Marine Safety Unit Wilmington is being disestablished as a separate unit.  76 Fed. Reg. 26603  (May 9, 2011).   (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

24 May 2007

Kearsarge ESG Conducts Rescue at Sea During COMPTUEX

Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group (KSGESG) assisted in the rescue of three mariners aboard a sailboat in distress May 18. The crew of the 48-foot S/V (sailing vessel) Sea Fever, ages 90, 81 and 50 respectively, were rescued 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina as a result of the combined efforts of amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 Detachment 1, and Coast Guard Station Fort Macon. When the began taking on water, the Sea Fever crew sent a 'mayday' message reporting they were taking on water. Although they had three pumps energized, they were not able to keep up with the flooding and were going down. U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina responded to the mayday, and sent a request for assistance in their search for the stranded vessel.

19 Apr 2007

Coast Guard Tows Distressed Vessel

The Coast Guard responded and rescued the crew of a distressed sail boat off the coast of North Carolina. The Coast Guard Cutter Staten Island, a 110-ft. patrol boat home ported in Fort Macon, N.C., rescued four people from the 45-foot sailboat Sur L' Eau this morning approximately 300 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The Coast Guard received notification from the crew of the sail vessel after they lost power and the ability to steer. The Staten Island arrived on scene at about 6:42 a.m. and removed the passengers for their safety. The sail boat will be towed ashore by the Staten Island crew. The Sur L' Eau is home ported in Lewes, Del.

13 Oct 2006

Coast Guard Station Ocracoke Announces Change

Coast Guard Station Ocracoke has been under review and recommended for seasonal operations effective on or about Nov. 30, 2006, with a recommendation to align with existing units, potentially closing it permanently at a later date. The Ocracoke crew responds to approximately 30 search and rescue cases per year with the majority of those occurring in the summer months. This is well below the Coast Guard standard or average of 220 that is used to justify similar stations elsewhere. Secondly, station infrastructure is in an acute state of disrepair and requires significant capital improvements. Studies dating back to 2002 recommend a new facility if the unit does not transition to seasonal operations, but due to questions of operational need, the project remains unfunded.

06 Oct 2006

Coast Guard Crews to be Honored

Two North Carolina Coast Guard crews will be recognized at the annual Coast Guard Foundation Salute to the Coast Guard awards ceremony in New York. Lt. Cmdr. Donald E. Bader, Lt.j.g. Audie J. Andry, Petty Officer 1st Class Arthur J. Thompson, Jr., and Petty Officer 2nd Class James A. Geramita, of Air Station Elizabeth City, will be recognized at the ceremony. The commandant of the Coast Guard cited this helicopter crew's heroic actions in a search and rescue mission which resulted in saving three people on the sailing vessel Al Meisan, which was floundering with a broken mast and tangled rigging in 30-40 foot seas and turbulent winds greater than 50 knots. Lt. Charles K. Fluke, Jr., Chief Warrant Officer Morgan B. Dudley, and Chief Warrant Officer Keith M.