Lifeboat Crew News

Four divers that went missing off the U.S. East Coast on Sunday were rescued Monday 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, N.C.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector North Carolina initially received a notification Sunday from Coast Guard Sector Charleston stating four men were diving from the pleasure craft Big Bill’s, approximately 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, S.C. near noon, and had not resurfaced. Sectors Charleston and North Carolina coordinated a multi-asset…

An ailing crew member was medevaced from a tanker at anchor in Brodick Bay off Scotland, on Sunday,At 4.53 p.m., Troon lifeboat was tasked by Belfast Coastguard along with Arran lifeboat to assist with the medical evacuation of a crew member from the tanker Kongo Star at anchor in Brodick Bay.Also tasked was the Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter from Prestwick, Rescue 199 and Arran Coastguard Rescue Team.Troon RNLI all-weather lifeboat RNLB Jim Moffat was launched and headed…

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel capsized on Saturday with four crew members aboard near Pier 39 in Astoria, Ore.Four Coast Guardsmen were aboard the 26-foot Coast Guard Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat conducting routine operations when the vessel reportedly encountered a series of heavy wakes that came over the bow, which resulted in an unrecoverable starboard list that capsized the vessel, the Coast Guard said.At 11:39 a.m., watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District command…

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a vessel fire near Trinidad, Calif. on Wednesday.A helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay has deployed in response to the fire aboard commercial fishing vessel Midori off the northern California coast.The Coast Guard said it also launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Humboldt Bay to assist the stricken vessel.

The December 2015 sinking of fishing vessel Orin C and fatality of a mariner on board were cause by structural failure of the vessel’s hull and subsequent flooding, according to a marine accident brief released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). After suffering an engine failure off the Massachusetts coast on December 3, 2015, the 51-foot Orin C was taken in tow by a Good Samaritan fishing vessel, the Foxy Lady. While in tow under adverse conditions, the Orin C sustained damage from a large wave, and the damage contributed to the flooding on the vessel.

For the fifth consecutive year, rescue volunteers from European nations are to participate next week in a seven day Lifeboat Crew Exchange Program organized by the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF). The well-established program will include representatives from 13 countries and nine will host a full exchange seven days in their respective locations with each country able to send seven crew members each going to a different country. They will share experiences and…

A new lifeboat has been donated to the Hellenic Rescue Team (HRT) by fellow International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) members the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (RS), and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ‘Norway II’ is the second lifeboat to be donated to HRT and follows ‘Norway I’ that has operated since September last year in the Aegean Sea around Kos. In her speech on Lesvos, the ‘godmother’ of the boat, Mrs. Marit Nybakk, Vice President of the Parliament…

A U.S. Coast Guard crew medevaced a 47-year-old fisherman suffering from chest pains off the coast of Gloucester, Mass. Watchstanders at Sector Boston’s command center received the report at approximately 11:40 a.m. Wednesday from a crew member aboard the commercial fishing vessel, First Impression II, homeported in Sorrento, Maine, that another crew member was suffering from chest pains. A 29-foot response boat from Station Gloucester arrived on scene first at 11:59 a.m. A 47…

Norsafe has become the first lifeboat manufacturer to provide STCW and Norwegian Oil and Gas (NOROG) compliant training courses for seafarers. This means that the company is the only lifeboat manufacturer that offers production, servicing and certified training in the operation and maintenance of lifeboats and lifeboat crew. Gaining STCW approval is very timely for Norsafe as the Manila 2010 Amendments to the STCW-78 Convention stipulates that seafarers, who are qualified in the following areas, need to provide documentary proof they have recently undergone training or have been on a refresher course within the last five years by 1st January 2017.

Coast Guard, National Response Center and Washington State Department of Ecology personnel responded to oil pollution from a sunken 67-foot commercial vessel at Westhaven Marina near Grays Harbor, Wash., Sunday. Responders from the Coast Guard Incident Management Division in Astoria will arrive on scene Monday morning and will be working with partner agencies to monitor the situation and oversee the cleanup. After receiving a report of a possible sinking vessel at Westhaven Marina at approximately 12:40 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Columbia River watchstanders launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor to assess the situation. The commercial fishing vessel Persistence was found submerged at the pier, and a rainbow sheen was observed on the water.

atchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach operations center, received a report Thursday night from the 45-foot motor lifeboat crew at Coast Guard Station Channel Islands that four of the members were struck twice with a laser while transiting near the Channel Islands Harbor entrance. Crewmembers reported that the laser came from shore and once they energized their blue law-enforcement light, the laser desisted. After a medical evaluation, there were no reported injuries associated with the incident. The Coast Guard said that pointing handheld lasers at Coast Guard vessels and aircrews is dangerous and illegal. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime and a felony offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 39A.

The Coast Guard rescued a man Friday from a grounded sailboat near Ocracoke Inlet. Sector North Carolina watchstanders were notified at 7:21 p.m. Friday that the 30-foot sailing vessel Lydamay was aground and taking on water near Ocracoke Inlet. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew launched from Station Hatteras Inlet and arrived on scene but were unable to reach the man due to shallow water. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Elizabeth City, arrived on scene at 9:02 p.m. and hoisted the man. The man was transferred to Red Cross personnel waiting at the Elizabeth City boat ramp. The sailboat has been removed.

The Coast Guard rescued two missing kayakers Sunday in Pamlico Sound, south of Oregon Inlet. Both male kayakers were found alive, conscious and wearing life jackets at about 1:20 a.m., approximately nine miles southwest of the area they initially reported their distress. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Oregon Inlet located both men, brought them aboard and took them to Station Oregon Inlet where they were both placed in the care of awaiting local EMS. Both men were in the water for more than nine hours. “The fact both men were wearing life jackets greatly enhanced their chances of survival tonight,” said Lt.j.g. command duty officer for the case.

A fishing crew is back on land today after a fouled anchor line stranded them about 115 miles east of Gloucester, Massachusetts, Saturday. Initially, the four-person crew aboard the 61-foot fishing vessel Angela Michelle contacted the Sector Boston Command Center when their line became wrapped in the ship's rudder and propeller. Rescue crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Legare, a 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter from Portsmouth, Virginia, arrived on scene and took the vessel in tow toward Gloucester, Massachusetts. They were met Sunday at about 9 a.m by a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Gloucester who relieved tow and took the Angela Michelle into port. They arrived safely at the pier in Gloucester at about 1 p.m.

The Coast Guard rescued two people Sunday from a sinking boat approximately 35 miles southeast of Ocean Isle Beach. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, received an alert at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon registered to the 25-foot pleasure craft Quest, which is homeported in Ocean Isle Beach. Command center personnel issued an urgent marine information broadcast and contacted watchstanders at Shaw Air Force Base. Air Force personnel contacted the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing who confirmed the location of the vessel with the help of F-16s conducting training offshore.

The Coast Guard Foundation announced that it will honor Thomas Allegretti and the American Waterways Operators (AWO), a motor lifeboat crew from Pensacola, Florida, and an aircrew from Air Station Houston, Texas at its Annual Salute to the 8th Coast Guard District on Friday, March 13th in New Orleans. The New Orleans salute raises approximately $500,000 each year to fund education, support and relief programs for the Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of Coast Guard members and their families.

Coast Guard rescue crews assisted the crew and passengers aboard the Provincetown IV Ferry, which was disabled near Scituate, Massachusetts, Wednesday. Watchstanders at the Sector Boston Command Center received notification at 4:06 p.m. that the ferry had suffered an engine failure and was unable to make way. A Station Point Allerton 47-foot motor lifeboat crew and the Coast Guard Cutter Flyingfish rushed to the scene to provide a safety zone and monitor, while another ferry arrived on scene to also assist. The Provincetown IV crew eventually repaired the engine and were underway, while the Flyingfish and Station Point Allerton crews escorted them to port. The ferry docked safely in Boston at about 7:40 p.m.

A Coast Guard Station Chatham rescue crew saved a kayaker Friday in Chatham Harbor, Massachusetts, after his kayak overturned. Station Chatham was notified at about 6:45 p.m., from a nearby witness that two kayakers were in distress in Chatham Harbor. A Station Chatham 42-foot near shore lifeboat crew immediately diverted to the area and was on scene within 15 minutes. There, the crew found one kayaker in the water and discovered the other had made it safely back to shore. They pulled the man and his kayak aboard, evaluated him for injuries, and transferred him to the Chatham harbormaster, who took him to shore. No medical attention was required.

The U.S.Coast Guard medevaced a 52-year-old man from a dive boat approximately 18 miles southeast of Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina, Sunday. The captain of the dive boat Under Pressure contacted Coast Guard North Carolina Command Center watchstanders via VHF-FM at approximately 3 p.m. and reported a diver was suffering from from signs of decompression sickness. Sector watchstanders launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet to assist. The Coast Guard crew arrived on scene at approximately 4:30 p.m., transferred the man aboard their boat and took him to the station, where the diver was met by an awaiting Coast Guard aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and taken to Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk.

A man had a lucky escape after being thrown from his speedboat in Teignmouth Quay. Brixham Coastguard said it received a 999 call from a member of the public just after 10am this morning, reporting that a man had been hurled into the water from his speedboat. The boat was then going round in circles and the man was trying to swim away to safety. The Teignmouth Coastguard Rescue Team and the Teignmouth RNLI inshore lifeboat were sent to the scene. The lifeboat crew managed to bring the boat under control by cutting the engine. The man had been picked up by another boat nearby and was brought ashore where he was met by Coastguard Rescue Officers. He’s since been taken to hospital to be checked over, but doesn’t appear to have been badly hurt.

A seven day Lifeboat Crew Exchange Program involving rescue volunteers from nine countries has proved to be a fulfilling training exercise for all 55 participants. With the aim of exchanging knowledge, sharing ideas and building relationships between the voluntary institutions, the project is designed to help reduce the number of people losing their lives in Europe’s waters. Instigated by the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) and the Search and Rescue (SAR) organization KNRM from the Netherlands, the program has four clear objectives.

ACR's ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) was recently selected as the product of choice by the UK's Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to keep their lifeboat crews safe. Chosen because of its superior operational and technical performance and single handed re-useable antenna deployment, the ACR ResQLink will be issued to all lifeboat crew members for fitment to their life jackets. RNLI crewmembers will now have the additional protection of ACR PLBs. The ACR ResQLink…

UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency report Yarmouth Coastguard's response to recent WSV's in distress. Windcat 9 issued a VHF DSC Mayday offshore from Humber and reported that they were taking in water. Yarmouth Coastguard requested the launch of Humber and Cleethorpes RNLI lifeboats and the rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield. Due to concern that the vessel could be sinking the 15 crew abandoned to another vessel. The rescue helicopter transferred two pumps on board the vessel and lifeboat crew were able to control the ingress of water and towed the vessel to Grimsby. In a separate incident Yarmouth Coastguard requested the launch of Wells and Cromer RNLI lifeboats to the vessel Island Panther following a collision with a tower while working at the wind farm off Sheringham.