Coast Guard News
January 19, 2015
JUNEAU, Alaska — Coast Guard Sector Juneau personnel are responding to the sinking of the 80-foot fishing vessel Eyak approximately 13 miles south of Sitka Harbor, Monday.
Sector Juneau personnel will monitor the sunken vessel for signs of pollution until the owner can salvage the vessel.
Sector Juneau watchstanders received a call on VHF channel 16 from a crewmember aboard the Eyak stating they had run aground by Calligan Island and were taking on water. Watchstanders requested the launch of an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew.... [Read More]
January 17, 2015
BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard will establish a temporary security zone Tuesday in designated waters in the National Capitol Region for the State of the Union address.
The security zone will be in effect from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 12 a.m. Wednesday, which may limit or prohibit navigation by commercial and recreational waterway users.... [Read More]
January 16, 2015
MIAMI —The Coast Guard collaborated with Palm Beach County, Florida, to complete the second leg of three in trials focused on ensuring mariners in distress have the ability to contact emergency dispatch Thursday.
The Coast Guard Research and Development Center is exploring existing technologies, like maritime operated smart phones with Next Generation 9-1-1, to get faster and more accurate location data for Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations. ... [Read More]
January 16, 2015
SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard Cutter Sherman departed its homeport of San Diego on Friday, for its new homeport of Honolulu.
Sherman and crew will transfer to Honolulu and take the Coast Guard Cutter Rush’s duties, as Rush is scheduled to be decommissioned in February after 46 years of dedicated service to the Coast Guard and country.... [Read More]
January 16, 2015
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Coast Guard medevaced a 67-year-old woman Thursday from a cruise ship approximately 75 miles east of Atlantic City.
A medical doctor aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at 7:53 p.m. to report the woman was in need of immediate medical assistance.
After consulting with the flight surgeon, the woman was recommended for medical evacuation.... [Read More]
January 15, 2015
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish, homeported in Port Angeles, Wash., escorts the USS Nimitz during the carrier crew’s homeport shift from Naval Base Everett, Wash., to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Wash., Jan. 13, 2015.
Both the Coast Guard and Navy crews had to keep a stern lookout as they navigated the foggy Puget Sound waterways.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Norcross.
... [Read More]
January 15, 2015
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Vise placed a reef ball memorial near Egmont Key, Florida on Thursday, marking the wreckage of the USS Narcissus.
The Narcissus was en route to New York state from Pensacola, Florida on Jan. 4. 1866 when it ran aground and sank with all crew aboard. The ship is known for its presence in the Civil War. ... [Read More]
January 14, 2015
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HONOLULU – The Coast Guard Cutter Kiska rescued a distressed kayaker near Big Island and safely transported him to Hilo, Wednesday.
Kiska arrived on scene at 11:31 p.m. Tuesday and safely brought aboard the 38-year-old man and his kayak.... [Read More]
January 14, 2015
HONOLULU – The Coast Guard is responding to a kayaker in distress off Big Island, Tuesday.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received notification at 6:29 p.m. via cell phone from a kayaker approximately 19 miles northeast of Kohala, Big Island. The 38-year-old man was en route Big Island from Maui when he reportedly lost sight of the island due to volcanic smog and drifted off course.
Watchstanders were able to triangulate his signal with the aid of Hawaii County Police Dispatch to determine his location.... [Read More]
January 14, 2015
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew transfers a patient to Kodiak Fire Department personnel in Kodiak, Alaska, Jan. 13, 2015.
The patient was reported to be suffering from an abdominal injury while pulling in crab pots and needed to be medevaced from his vessel.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Diana Honings.... [Read More]
January 13, 2015
NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing kayaker in the waters off Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island at 7 p.m., Tuesday.
Response crews covered more than 2,115 square miles during the search for Sean Switzer, after receiving a report from concerned family members on Sunday evening when he failed to return from a kayak outing off of Gulf Shores. ... [Read More]
January 13, 2015
JUNEAU, Alaska — The Coast Guard recognizes the successes of Alaska’s boating safety program with an 80 percent drop in recreational boating fatalities since HB108, Use, Regulation and Operation of Boats, was introduced in 1998.
Boating safety has come a long way since 1998 when there were 38 fatalities; in 2014 Alaska reported seven fatalities. Alaska’s observed life jacket wear rates in the 13 to 17 year olds category are nearly double the national rate. Alaska’s rate for boaters 18 and over is nearly three times the national wear rate.... [Read More]
January 12, 2015
Editor's note: For a high resolution image, click on the icon above.
HONOLULU — The Coast Guard and Department of Transportation Harbors are responding to a diesel fuel spill from an abandoned fishing vessel that sank in Honolulu Harbor, Monday.
The Coast Guard received notification at 6:30 p.m. Sunday from a reporting source that the 77 - foot fishing vessel Judy K was sinking at Pier 16 in Honolulu Harbor. ... [Read More]
January 12, 2015
KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard assisted a 26-year-old woman from Metlakatla, Alaska, who was reported to have fallen out of her canoe and swam to shore near Tongass Narrows, Sunday.
A Station Ketchikan 25-foot Response Boat – Small crew picked up the survivor and transferred her to her family in Annette Bay.... [Read More]
January 12, 2015
NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching for a kayaker whose last known location was near Gulf Shores, Alabama, Saturday.
Sean Switzer last communicated with his family while he was reportedly in a yellow kayak and not wearing a life jacket off the coast of Gulf Shores.
The Coast Guard was notified at 10 p.m., Sunday.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Dauphine Island as well as an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile were launched shortly after the Coast Guard was notified.... [Read More]
January 12, 2015
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – U.S. Coast Guard warns recreational and commercial boaters of stiff fines and penalties for conducting illegal passenger transport operations in the Port of San Juan during Saint Sebastian Festival celebrations from 15 to 18 January.
Coast Guard boat crews and maritime security officers on land will be increasing security patrols throughout the planned festivities to guarantee the safe and legal transport of passengers inside San Juan Harbor.... [Read More]
January 10, 2015
NEW YORK – The Coast Guard rescued two stranded hunters from St. Helena Island, Connecticut, today.
At approximately 12:50 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received calls from a local government agency and a commercial recovery company regarding two hunters who had become stranded on St. Helen Island, due to their vessel drifting away with the tide.
A rescue boatcrew from Station New Haven arrived on scene in approximately 20-minutes.
Once on scene the rescue boatcrew retrieved the vessel and returned it to the stranded hunters.... [Read More]
January 9, 2015
Written by Petty Officer 1st Class Nick Ameen
All the leaves have fallen. Nature’s autumnal palette of vibrant colors has faded away. The water’s surface will slowly turn to ice.
The Coast Guard stands ready to break it.
The artery that is the Delaware River provides the means to deliver goods, both needed for survival and the enjoyment of life. When that passage ceases to flow, the Coast Guard takes action.... [Read More]