Crowley boxship aids in rescue of four sailors

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — U.S. Coast Guard air personnel, the crew of the Crowley containership El Coqui, and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza rescued four men from a life raft in Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank waters north of Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

Rescued are U.S. citizens David Potts, 63; John Potts, 62; Andrew Cullar, 26; and Russel Case, 67, who were forced to abandon the sailing vessel Mariposa after it reportedly struck a submerged rock and was then overtaken by a wave, which caused the vessel to roll on its port side. The vessel struck another rock which breached its hull and started taking on water while additional waves flooded the vessel before sinking. Mariposa was on a voyage from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to Portofino, Texas, with an anticipated stop in Key West, Fla.

Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center watch standers received an unregistered 406 emergency positioning radio beacon signal Tuesday morning alerting of a possible distress approximately 180 miles northwest of Puerto Rico.  Coast Guard watch standers directed the launch of an Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft out of Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to search for any signs of a possible distress or survivors.

Crowley file photo

Watch standers also issued an enhanced group calling (EGC) and an Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) callout notifying vessels transiting in the vicinity to be on the lookout for a possible distress.  The U.S.-flagged El Coqui, a 720-foot containership, diverted to the location of the distress during the ship’s voyage from San Juan to Jacksonville, Fla.

Once in the Silver Bank area, the Coast Guard air crew located the life raft with the four survivors and vectored in the cargo ship to the area. The Coast Guard air crew also noticed the fishing vessel Bonanza that was accompanied by multiple small fishing vessels in the vicinity of the distress. Not having direct communication with Bonanza, the Coast Guard air crew conducted a series of low passes to gain the vessel’s attention before vectoring the vessel’s crew to the position of the life raft.

Bonanza’s crew was able to approach the life raft in the shoal waters and rescue the survivors. Once rescued, Bonanza transported the survivors to El Coqui for further transport to Jacksonville, Fla. No medical concerns were reported from survivors.

During initial search efforts, watch standers used the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system which provided vessel profile information and various emergency contacts for Mariposa. This information significantly contributed to search planning efforts and was available due to Mariposa’s 406-MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon being registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“This incident underscores the importance of proper emergency equipment for vessels at sea,” said Lt. Hannah Boyce, Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft commander for the case. “We are all incredibly thankful those mariners were properly equipped. Helping those four sailors at their worst day at sea is why we fly.”

“This incident highlights the importance of having an emergency position indicating radio beacon that is fully functioning and registered in the NOAA database,” said Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Borders, Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator for the case. “Our deepest gratitude goes out to the crews of the fishing vessel Bonanza and of the motor vessel El Coqui for selflessly responding in keeping with the honor and tradition of the AMVER merchant vessels that come to the aide of fellow mariners in distress.”

– U.S. Coast Guard

By Professional Mariner Staff