BOSTON – The crews of the Coast Guard Cutters Escanaba and Key Largo, and a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Station Point Allerton, assisted four people Wednesday who were aboard a disabled fishing vessel 97 miles east of Boston.
This is the Escanaba’s fourth tow of a disabled vessel in two months.
The captain of the 80-foot fishing vessel Lydia and Mya, homeported in Boston, used a VHF-16 radio Wednesday at about 9:30 a.m. to contact watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston's command center reporting Lydia and Mya was disabled due to mechanical problems.
Search and rescue coordinators at Sector Boston command center issued a marine assistance request broadcast soliciting assistance for Lydia and Mya from good Samaritans or a commercial salvage company. After the request went unanswered, the command center diverted the crew of the Escanaba, a 270-foot cutter homeported in Boston, to assist.
The crew of the Escanaba took the Lydia and Mya, loaded with 1,200 pounds of haddock, in stern tow at approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The crew of the Escanaba passed the tow to the crew of the 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo, homeported in Gloucester, early Thursday morning.
If commercial salvage has still not been arranged by the owner, a Station Point Allerton 47-foot MLB crew is expected to bring Lydia and Mya to the Boston Fish Pier.
“The Coast Guard should be the last resort for assisting disabled vessels that are not in distress,” said Lt. Samantha Leon, a watchstander at the First Coast Guard District's command center. "It is the responsibility of the owner of the disabled vessel to find a commercial salvage company that can assist them. Using a Coast Guard asset in these situations ties up Coast Guard crews who might be needed during a real emergency.”
Having a preventative maintenance plan is essential in keeping a vessel in good working order. Many mechanical failures can be avoided through following such a plan. Recreational and commerical vessel owners must keep up-to-date with preventative maintence, especially with harsher weather headed to our area. For additional information, recreational boaters can visit uscgboating.org, and commerical mariners can visit The National Maritime Center.