4 People, Dog Rescued 290 miles off Savannah

Four people and a dog were rescued from a sailboat approximately 290-miles off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, Wednesday.

Members of Coast Guard Sector Charleston were notified by Boat U.S., that the 38-foot sailboat Luna C. suffered engine failure and damage to the sailboat’s mast, Wednesday.

Watchstanders at Sector Charleston used the Coast Guard’s Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), to contact the crew of the Jennifer Schepers, a 590-foot Liberian flagged container ship.

The crew of the Jennifer Schepers diverted from their course to assist the four individuals and their dog and took them aboard.

The four people and their dog rode aboard the Jennifer Schepers to the ship's next port of call in Wilmington, Delaware, where they safely disembarked earlier today.

AMVER is a Coast Guard-sponsored program, which creates a mutual network of large ships and platforms to help expedite rescues or respond to emergencies that happen offshore.