Honolulu Command Center News

The Coast Guard and Hawaii County Fire Department are searching for a missing diver off Puako Beach, Big Island, Wednesday. Missing is 69-year-old Diana Wolking. Wolking was last seen wearing a black rash guard, black and white bikini bottom with a scuba tank and black fins. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point is currently searching along with the crew of USCGC Kittiwake. Hawaii County Fire Department is  searching with helicopter and rescue boat crews. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast has been issued alerting mariners in the area to keep a sharp lookout and report any sightings to the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center. Watchstanders at Sector Honolulu received notification at 7:20 p.m.

The Coast Guard is seeking the public's help identifying the owner of a 13-foot white sailing dinghy found near Kaneohe Bay, Wednesday. Anyone with information that may help identify the owner of the sailing dinghy is asked to contact the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center at 808-842-2600808-842-2600 FREE FREE. Watchstanders at the Sector Honolulu command center received a report at 5:25 p.m., from MCB Hawaii Waterfront Operations that a Marine Corps helicopter crew spotted an unmanned adrift paddleboard while conducting training near Kaneohe Bay. Waterfront Operations launched a small boat crew to relocate the paddleboard. Once on-scene, the crew reported that it was not a paddleboard, but a small sailing dinghy with no mast, sail or means of propulsion.

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.

The Coast Guard and Navy are continuing the search for a student reported overboard from a Japanese training vessel approximately 70 miles southwest of Kauai, Tuesday. Coast Guard and Navy assets have searched 9,412 square miles totaling 83 search hours. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center were notified at 9:56 a.m., regarding a 17-year-old male Japanese national who was reported overboard from the 208-foot Japanese training vessel, Hokuho Maru during their transit from Honolulu to Japan. The man was last seen at approximately 2:50 a.m., and was reported missing after he did not show up for muster. He was last seen wearing a light green jump suit. It is not known if he was wearing a life jacket.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) search operations continue for a student reported overboard from a Japanese training vessel approximately 70 miles southwest of Kauai, Tuesday. USCG said its watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center were notified at 9:56 a.m., regarding a 17-year-old male Japanese national who was reported overboard from the 208-foot Japanese training vessel Hokuho Maru during transit from Honolulu to Japan. The man was last seen at approximately 2:50 a.m., and was reported missing after he did not show up for muster. He was last seen wearing a light green jumpsuit, and it is unknown whether he was wearing a life jacket.

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…

A man is safe after being rescued from a disabled boat approximately 46 miles southwest of Kahoolawe, Maui, Saturday. At 10:15 a.m., watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center received notification from a friend of the vessel’s operator reporting that the 19-foot boat was disabled. The mariner contacted his friend using a cell phone. An approximate position was determined using information form the cell phone call. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and the 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Rush were diverted to search. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point and a 45-foot Response-Boat Medium crew launched from Station Maui. The disabled boat was spotted at 7:06 p.m. when the Hercules aircrew noticed the mariner waving a flashlight.

The Coast Guard and Ocean Safety rescued two kayakers trapped on Molokini Crater Monday. Watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification at 3:20 p.m. from Maui Fire Department of two kayakers who were beset by weather and were forced onto the rocks on Molokini Crater. After climbing to safety, the kayakers called 911 for assistance. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Maui and a jet ski from Ocean Safety responded. At 3:46 p.m., the jet ski arrived on scene and ferried the kayakers from the rock to the awaiting RB-M. The kayakers were safely brought aboard the RB-M and transported to Station Maui at 4:15 p.m. No injuries were reported and both kayakers were wearing lifejackets. On-scene conditions were 29 mile per hour winds and three foot seas.

The fishing vessel Pacifica moored safely in Honolulu Harbor Monday after taking on water when insufficient shaft packing in the stern tube allowed water to flood the vessel approximately 144 miles north northeast of Oahu, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) reported. USCG watchstanders at the Honolulu Command Center received a distress call from the commercial fishing vessel Pacifica at 8:58 a.m., Sunday, reporting that the vessel was taking on water at 10 gallons per minute and was continuing to make way toward Oahu at seven miles per hour. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point at 9:29 a.m., arrived on scene at 10:05 a.m., dropped dewatering equipment to the fishing vessel and remained on scene until the Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake arrived at 4:30 p.m.

The fishing vessel Pacifica moored safely in Honolulu Harbor Monday after taking on water approximately 144 miles north northeast of Oahu. The cause of the flooding was determined to be insufficient shaft packing in the stern tube, which allowed water to enter the vessel. The Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported here, escorted the vessel back to the Port of Honolulu. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received a distress call from the commercial fishing vessel Pacifica at 8:58 a.m., Sunday. The crew reported the vessel was taking on water at ten gallons per minute and was continuing to make way toward Oahu at 7 miles per hour. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point at 9:29 a.m.

The Coast Guard is assisting the crew of a sinking fishing boat 144 miles north northeast of Oahu, Sunday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received a distress call from the commercial fishing vessel Pacifica at 8:58 a.m., Sunday. The crew reported the vessel was taking on water at ten gallons per minute and was continuing to make way toward Oahu at 7 miles per hour. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point at 9:29 a.m. The Hercules crew arrived on scene at 10:05 a.m. and dropped dewatering equipment to the fishing vessel. The Hercules will remain on scene until the Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake arrives to provide additional assistance. The 87-foot patrol boat departed its homeport of Honolulu at 10:30 a.m.

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 is searching for a possible missing kayaker in the Kaulakahi Channel off Kauai, Sunday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Honolulu  received notification from the charter vessel HOLO HOLO that reported sighting an unmanned 15-foot yellow, two-person inflatable kayak adrift approximately seven miles seaward of Barking Sands Beach, Kauai. The only marking is a Pacific Extreme label. A red life jacket and a black and yellow paddle towel were found aboard. The charter vessel monitored the area and no one appeared to be in distress. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point was launched to the scene to search for anyone in distress.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said it is seeking the public’s assistance after receiving a report of an unmanned adrift, black and grey inflatable dinghy offshore approximately two and a half miles west of Kaanapali, Maui, Monday. The passenger ferry Molokai Princess reported the dinghy adrift at approximately 7:45 a.m., and took it in tow back to Kaunakakai Harbor, Molokai. The dinghy is approximately 10 feet long with a 6-horsepower outboard engine. There are no markings on the vessel…

A human silhouette is outlined by the light of a cell phone as theater patrons shift their attention toward the disturbance. The user’s eyes scan messaging with expression of concern, reading of a boating accident and a lone mariner’s single call for help. This story begins as a first responder moves towards the green exit sign, departing his liberty to join an assembling sortie. Standing the Hawaiian Islands watch requires a force of on call specialists, always ready for the surge capacity nature of the job.