This Day in Coast Guard History – August 2, 2010

1881-At about 8 o’clock in the morning, during a dense fog on Lake Huron, the crew of Station No 2, Tenth District (Point aux Barques, Michigan), heard the signal-whistle of a steamer to the northeast. The sharpness of the sound indicated a call for assistance.  The life-saving crew found the steamer City of Concord with the schooner L.L. Lamb in tow, bound to Port Hope. The captain of the steamer stated that he was uncertain of his position on account of the fog and desired to know the bearing and distance to his destination.  The keeper provided the information and the two vessels reached Port Hope safely soon afterwards.

1995-The 234-foot gambling ship Club Royale sank 90 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, during Hurricane Erin.  An HU-25 Falcon from AIRSTA Miami responded to the distress signal sent out by the vessel's EPIRB, although the usual registration information did not come over the wire as a registered EPIRB.  The HU-25 located numerous life rafts and survivors in the area and a HC-130 and two HH-60 Jayhawks from AIRSTA Clearwater were dispatched.  The helicopters had been weathering out Erin at Fort Myers Beach.  The CGCs Confidence, Baranof, and Point Countess also responded.  The helicopters rescued eight of the 11 crewmen.  One body was later recovered and the remaining two crewmen were never found.

(Source: USCG Historian’s Office)