Hayley Edmondson News

The guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) located and assisted a distressed fishing vessel Feb. 14 while operating 140 nautical miles off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship, which is part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Strike Group, was headed to Civitavechia, Italy, the next scheduled port of call, when its SH-60B Seahawk helicopter discovered the drifting fishing boat in distress. The boat’s five crew members were waving flags and shot a white flare to get the aircraft's attention. The Italian fishing vessel named Zaira SR 2437, which had no remaining fuel and no ability to communicate via radio, had lost propulsion and was drifting further out to sea. With 30 plus knot winds, high seas and a frigid temperature, the crew needed help immediately.