Station Cape Disappointment News

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…

A 557-foot tanker Argent Cosmos lost use of a fuel pump and ran aground near Skamokawa, Wash. at 6:28 a.m. Thursday while heading outbound on the Columbia River following a port call in Longview, Wash. The Panamanian-flagged tanker is loaded with 1.63 million gallons of ethanol and 6.65 million gallons of monoethylene glycol. It also has 458,074 gallons of high-sulfur oil and 99,064 gallons of low-sulfur oil aboard. There have been no reports of pollution in the river, flooding aboard the vessel or injuries to crewmembers, according to the U.S.

The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan commercial fishing crew rescued five people from the water after the fishing vessel Star King, a 55-foot stern trawler homeported in Astoria, capsized and sank near the entrance to the Columbia River early Saturday morning. All five fishermen were pulled from the water by the crew of the fishing vessel Sea Ballad and were transferred to the Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew, from Station Cape Disappointment, who transported them to the station in Ilwaco, Wash., where they did not need medical attention. Watchstanders at the Sector Columbia River command center received the first mayday calls from the Star King via VHF-FM radio channel 16 at 4:31 a.m. All five fishermen were accounted for by 5:10 a.m.

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.

U.S. Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment personnel recently received an upgrade to their small boat fleet, when two new 29-foot, Freedom Class, Response Boat – Small, were delivered and put into operation, replacing the 25-foot, defender class, Response Boat – Small. The new platform, offers crewmembers greater operational visibility, comfort and endurance. The new 29-foot RB-S is four feet longer, about 400 pounds heavier and handles differently. The 25-foot RB-S was known for its maneuverability, while the new 29-foot RB-S is quicker in regaining its speed after a turn.

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered the Charles Sexton, the eighth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard. The announcement was made by Bollinger President, Chris Bollinger, “We are very pleased to announce another successful on-time and on-budget FRC delivery to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Charles Sexton was delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District in Key West, Fla., and will be stationed at USCG Sector Key West. The 154-foot patrol craft Charles Sexton is the eighth vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program.

Cantwell, Senators Urge Support for Dredging of Small Ports, Including Swinomish Channel, Port of Ilwaco. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has joined a group of Senators in urging key appropriators to include funding for dredging small and low-use ports in the fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget. Small and low-use ports are ports that don’t have enough tonnage to meet the Army Corps of Engineers’ threshold to qualify for annual dredging support but represent important economic engines of the communities they serve.

1848-Captain Alexander V. Fraser, appointed the first chief of Revenue Marine Bureau in 1843, was detached to proceed around Cape Horn to San Francisco with new brig Lawrence. 1860-The light in the massive stone Minots Ledge Lighthouse, which was built on the original site of the one lost in 1851, was exhibited. Work on the new lighthouse was commenced in 1855 and finished in 1860. 1977-UTB-41332 from Station Cape Disappointment capsized in the Columbia River during a night training exercise. The UTB sank after the current swept it past the Columbia River Lightship. Three Coast Guardsmen were killed in the accident: BM3 Greg Morris, BM3 Ray Erb and SN Albin Erickson.

1898- The Revenue Cutter Bear took 97 survivors of whaling vessels, who had been caught in Arctic ice and rescued by the Overland Expedition, and transported them to San Francisco. 1948- Congress approved Public Law 810 allowing retirement pay at age 60 for reservists with 20 years of service. Some consider this to be the "birth" of the modern Coast Guard Reserve. 1970- The CGC Vigorous became the first 210-foot cutter to cross the Arctic Circle. This took place while she was part of the 1970 Cadet Cruise Squadron. CDR George Wagner was the commanding officer. 1997- The MLB-44300, the first 44-foot MLB to enter service, suffered an engine casualty in response to a SAR mission conducted for Station Cape Disappointment. She was retired from duty shortly thereafter.

The Coast Guard responded to the capsizing of a barge approximately eight miles from the Columbia River bar near Astoria, Ore. The crew of the 100-ft Canadian tug General Jackson contacted the Coast Guard to report their 295-ft barge had capsized at about 7:30 a.m, April 13. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew from Group/Air Station Astoria and a 47-ft motor lifeboat crew from Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Wash., were sent to the scene. The barge was loaded with scrap metal and contains approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel.

Boarding Team members from Sector Portland ready their gear in preparation to board the motor vessel Marguerite. The Boarding Team was taken to the Marguerite by the 52-foot motor lifeboat crew aboard the Triumph II from Station Cape Disappointment. (Photo by Petty Officer Andrew Bermel, U.S.C.G.) Seaman Ethan Lincoln stands watch on the bow of a 25-foot response boat from Station Cape Disappointment, as a crew aboard the 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph II makes an approach to the ladder of the motor vessel Marguerite to perform a standard boarding. (Photo by Petty Officer Andrew Bermel, U.S.C.G.)

The Coast Guard responded to a vessel grounded at the mouth of the Columbia River earlier this week. The motor vessel Apollon was grounded at the mouth of the Columbia River. The vessel was refloated, no pollution, damage to the vessel or injuries to the 21-member crew are reported. Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria, OR. Marine Safety Office Portland and Station Cape Disappointment responded to the grounding of the motor vessel Apollon, a 623-ft wheat carrier. The vessel was aground in the vicinity of the Clatsop Spit, Oregon between buoys 12 and 14. The Peruvian-flagged vessel, which was bound for the Philippines, refloated itself and proceeded out to sea on its own power.

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.

A man is in serious condition after one of two commercial tugs towing a log barge capsized, becoming lodged beneath the giant boat and throwing its captain into the water, according to a Daily Astorian report. One of the sunken tug Tiger’s crew members jumped into the water to help the captain, while another crew member threw the two men a line until they could be pulled to safety with help from a Columbia River Bar Pilots helicopter and a pilot boat. The U.S. Coast Guard launched a 47 ft. (14.3 m) motor lifeboat and a utility boat from Station Cape Disappointment, which stood by as the second tug, the Howard Olsen, took control of the barge and the capsized boat, according to the report. Astoria police, the Astoria Fire Department and the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office also responded.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to and recovered three members from a fishing vessel that was on fire. An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore. and an 47-ft. Motor Lifeboat from Station Cape Disappointment (Wash.) responded to a distress call from the fishing vessel Rear Fisher. The distress call, stating the 58-ft. fishing vessel was on fire and the crew abandon ship for a life raft, was confirmed by the fishing vessel Backlash. The three members of the Ilwaco-based fishing vessel were recovered by the Coast Guard and the F/V Backlash; and transported to Station Cape Disappointment. One crewmember was taken to Emmanuel Hospital, in Portland, suffering from burns on his face, arms, and back. The other two members were in good condition.