Station Honolulu News

U.S. Coast Guard rescued 15 mariners aboard the disabled 72-foot sailing vessel Lucky, 26-miles east of Makapu’u Point, Oahu, Hawaii, Saturday.The Lucky was adrift due to a disabled rudder and crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry (WPC 1124) and a Station Honolulu 45-foot Response Boat-Medium towed the vessel to Honolulu Harbor.“With any towing evolution there is risk involved," said Ensign Michael Meisenger, the operations officer aboard the Oliver Berry vessel.“Our crew trains constantly to ensure we are prepared when called upon. Last night that training paid off.

The Coast Guard continues to respond to an incident aboard the commercial fishing vessel Miss Emma off Oahu, Wednesday.“We’re pleased there was no loss of life in this case, and there are no current reports of pollution,” said Lt. j.g. Seth Gross, a command duty officer for Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We will conduct another overflight of the area today, and Coast Guard personnel are investigating the cause of the fire."The vessel caught fire Tuesday afternoon about 8 miles south of Sand Island prompting a search and rescue response.

The Coast Guard responded to a reported collision of two vessels approximately 20 miles southeast of Oahu, Wednesday.The commercial fishing vessel, Helen, reportedly collided with the Italian-flagged Liquid Propane Gas tanker, Pertusola, carrying 2,300 metric tons of propane reportedly collided.At 1:52 p.m., Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a report from the vessel Helen’s captain via VHF radio channel 16 of the incident.The U.S.

Twenty fishermen were transported to shore from an aground vessel less than a half mile off Honolulu early Wednesday morning. Honolulu Fire Department Jet Ski crews transported fishermen from the vessel to a Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium for further transport to awaiting emergency responders at Ala Wai Harbor. A Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter crew hoisted two of the fishermen and the master of the vessel and transported them to Honolulu airport. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received three reports of the 79-foot commercial fishing vessel Pacific Paradise grounded off Diamond Head near the Outrigger Canoe Club Channel Tuesday night. They responded by directing the launch of response assets.

Responders continue the search for five Army aviators who went missing Tuesday night approximately two miles west of Ka'ena Point, the westernmost tip of land on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. The search began late Tuesday following notification to the Coast Guard from personnel at Wheeler Army Airfield stating they lost communication with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews. The missing aircrew was reportedly engaged in night time training operations between Ka'ena Point and Dillingham Airfield. None of the aviators have been located yet. No further debris has been recovered. Personnel continue to coordinate efforts at the joint forward operating base at Hale'iwa Boat Harbor.

Responders are continuing the search for five missing Army aviators from a downed Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter approximately two miles west of Ka'ena Point, Oahu, Wednesday. En route is Coast Guard Cutter Walnut (WLB 205) and crew, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Honolulu. None of the aviators have been located yet. Debris has been spotted and recovered near Ka'ena Point by responders. A joint forward incident command post has been established at Hale'iwa Boat Harbor to coordinate search and rescue efforts. Debris from the crash should be considered hazardous material and should only be recovered by recovery teams with the proper training and personal protective equipment. The debris poses potential risk and could cause serious bodily harm due to sharp edges.

U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army personnel are responding to a report of a downed Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with five crew aboard approximately two miles west of Kaena Point, Oahu, Wednesday. A debris field was spotted near Kaena Point by the Coast Guard Hercules and Army Black Hawk aircrews at 11:28 p.m. Tuesday. Responders are currently searching for the five missing aircrewmen. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Command Center in Honolulu received a call at 10:08 p.m. Tuesday from personnel at Wheeler Army Airfield stating they lost communications with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews. Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of response assets.

A 29-year-old man arrived in good condition to Honolulu Wednesday aboard a Coast Guard small boat after being rescued by merchant mariners in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean and surviving a two- month ordeal at sea. A Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Honolulu safely transported the man from the motor vessel Nikkei Verde offshore of Honolulu to the Coast Guard Base Wednesday morning to meet awaiting EMS in stable condition. “This mariner had great fortitude and is very fortunate the crew of the Nikkei Verde happened upon him as the area he was in is not heavily trafficked,” said Lt. Cmdr. John MacKinnon, Joint Rescue Coordination Center chief with the Coast Guard 14th District. “The Pacific is vast and inherently dangerous and all mariners respect that.

The Coast Guard rescued three missing divers near Penguin Bank, Molokai, Monday. "The Coast Guard advises all divers to have a dive buoy, signaling device, and reflective equipment,” said Lt. Kevin Edes, command center chief at Sector Honolulu. The divers were located at 4 p.m. six miles from their original location by a Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Honolulu. They brought the divers aboard, confirmed they had no injuries and delivered them to their original vessel. The RB-M crew escorted the recreational vessel safely to Hawaii Kai. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point were also involved in the search.

A sailboat with five people aboard caught fire off Honolulu, Thursday, promting responsefrom the U.S. Coast Guard who sent a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Honolulu to tow the vessel to Pier 38 in Honolulu. Sector Honolulu Command Center watchstanders received a report at 9 a.m. from patrons at Aloha Tower of the sailboat on fire about a mile off Sand Island. The watchstanders immediately diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau’s smallboat crew, already underway in the harbor for training, and directed the launch of the station’s RB-M crew. Upon arrival the rescue crews assessed the situation and found the crew aboard the sailboat had put the fire out with an extinguisher. No injuries or pollution were reported.

The Coast Guard is searching for two men swept out to sea near Halona Blowhole Lookout, Saturday. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Honolulu, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point and the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat homeported in Honolulu, are searching for the missing men. Honolulu Fire Department and Ocean Safety are also assisting with search efforts. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification from the Honolulu Fire Department at 5:07 p.m. of the situation. The two men were last seen at approximately 5 p.m. On-scene weather conditions are 17 mph winds and 4-foot seas.

A Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium anchored off Laie Point after becoming disabled has been removed and is being towed to Coast Guard Station Honolulu, yesterday. A RB-M boat crew from Station Honolulu removed the disabled RB-M from its anchorage and towed it to the Coast Guard Cutter Ahi. Ahi is currently towing the RB-M to Station Honolulu. A jet ski crew from Marine Corps Base Hawaii Waterfront Operations assisted in the operation. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point is on-scene acting as a safety observer. The RB-M became stranded after attempting to take the 55-foot disabled sailing vessel Doubloon in tow Tuesday morning. The Doubloon drifted into the surf zone and broke apart in the 8-10 foot seas.

A 95-foot towing vessel, Nalani, sank approximately two and half miles west of Barbers Point Harbor, Oahu, Thursday, the U.S. (USCG) Coast Guard reported. The 11 people on board Nalani were rescued safely. The pilot aboard the sinking towing vessel placed a call at 3:13 p.m. via VHF Channel 16, alerting USCG watchstanders at the Honolulu command center that the vessel was taking on water and was in danger of sinking. The Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat homeported in Honolulu…

The Coast Guard rescued a man in a life raft after his sailboat sank approximately seven miles south of Diamond Head, Tuesday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center overheard a brief mayday call over VHF channel 16 at 7:43 p.m., with no additional information. Sector Honolulu received a call from a woman at 9:05 p.m., stating her friend had gone out sailing Tuesday evening in his 41-foot sailing vessel, Esperanza, and had not returned. Sector Honolulu diverted a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew at 9:16 p.m., from Coast Guard Station Honolulu to begin a search. At 9:44 p.m., the RB-M crew noticed a blinking…

The Coast Guard rescued eight people after their vessel sank in Kaiwi Channel, Molokai, Sunday. Watchstanders at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received an unregistered signal for possible persons in distress approximately 12 miles west of Molokai. The JRCC launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point to search the area. Shortly after the initial unregistered signal notification, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received a call from a father stating his son and seven others were in distress in the vicinity of the signal. SCC issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to mariners in the area.

Representatives from the Coast Guard National Strike Force, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted water sampling as part of a joint effort to analyze the effects of the molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor Sunday. The combined team departed Coast Guard Station Honolulu Sunday morning aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium. The National Strike Force crewmembers from the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Strike…

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received an official request from the Hawaii Department of Health to assist with the response to the molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor Friday. “The Coast Guard is prepared to bring all the requested resources to this incident to support our state and local partner agencies” said Capt. Shannon Gilreath, captain of the port Honolulu. “We have been working closely with state partners since the spill occurred to offer advice and resources. The Coast Guard began supporting the response Monday morning when investigators from Sector Honolulu responded to a report of discolored water in the harbor. Since then, the Coast Guard has held daily meetings with the lead State agency, Hawaii Department of Health.

The mariner was able to transmit a mayday call on VHF channel 16 which was received by Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. He was also able to active an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon which transmitted his position. Additionally, the location of the VHF transmission was calculated using the newly installed Rescue 21 system, which triangulates the position of any VHF broadcast originating near the Hawaii Islands. This mayday call was the first received using the Coast Guard’s new Rescue 21 technology in the Hawaiian Islands. By harnessing global positioning and cutting-edge communications technology, Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to perform all missions with greater agility and efficiency.

Coast Guard cutter Wrangell, homeported in Portland, Me., along with a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Honolulu, escorted the first waterborne humanitarian aid shipment into the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq, while members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 311, from San Pedro, Calif., assisted other coalition forces protecting the harbor. The shipment, consisting of vital aid donated by numerous countries, will be offloaded from the British ship RFA Sir Galahad and distributed to the Iraqi people. Iraqi Freedom, including force protection and port security," said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Carter, a Coast Guard spokesman in Bahrain. harbor defense command unit.