CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coast Guard boat and air crews rescued a 64-year-old man after his oyster boat went aground and began taking on water in Matagorda Bay early this morning and rescued another man after his oyster boat went aground in the same area this afternoon.
At approximately 5:30 a.m., the son of the master of the oyster vessel Two Sisters contacted Station Port Aransas by phone stating his father had run aground and his boat was rapidly taking on water. The location of the boat was unknown and there was a significant language barrier.
Watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi launched crews aboard a Station Port Aransas 25-foot response boat, a Station Port O’Connor 45-foot response boat, and Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin and HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to conduct searches of the Intracoastal Waterway, Lavaca Bay and Matagorda Bay.
After approximately one hour, the Port O'Connor boatcrew located the oyster boat, but was unable to reach the grounded vessel due to shallow water. The helicopter crew lowered the rescue swimmer with a dewatering pump and watchstanders launched a 24-foot shallow water craft from Station Port O’Conner to assist.
The shallow water boatcrew sent two members aboard to help the rescue swimmer with dewatering the boat. The dewatering pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding and all were taken to safety aboard the shallow water craft.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., another Dolphin helicopter aircrew spotted a fisherman in apparent distress in the same location aboard the Capt Sang, another oyster boat. The rescue helicopter immediately lowered the rescue simmer and hoisted the man to safety.
“Today’s cases once again show the level of dedication and teamwork the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard will expend in order to ensure that all mariners are returned to their loved ones," said Cmdr. Te-Ali Coley, the air operations officer and one of the pilots on the HC-144.
Both men were taken back to Station Port O’Conner uninjured. The Coast Guard would like to emphasize the use of safe boating practices. Always carry a marine VHF radio capable of calling for help, have a boating plan and communicate it with friends and family, do not boat under the influence and always have enough life jackets for everyone aboard.