Recent U.S. Coast Guard Responses

Vessel Fire Near Great Chebeague Island

A 65-foot vessel was fully engulfed in flames on Jan. 26 while moored near Great Chebeague Island in Casco Bay, Maine. Coast Guard units and local emergency responders extinguished the blaze and implemented pollution mitigation measures to limit environmental impact.

Diesel Fuel Sheen Dissipates — Everett, Massachusetts (Jan. 23)

Coast Guard investigators monitored a reported diesel fuel sheen near a terminal in Everett, Mass., and determined the isolated spill dissipated on its own. Sector Boston received a report at approximately 1:23 p.m. the previous day from the ExxonMobil terminal describing a 100-foot-by-100-foot sheen observed in the Mystic River.

Coast Guard personnel and local partners searched shorelines into the night to find the source. After resuming searches at first light, no source was identified and the small quantity of fuel—estimated at a few gallons—had broken up and dissipated naturally. Officials continue investigating to identify a cause.

Medical Evacuation Offshore — Cape Ann, Massachusetts (Jan. 16)

On Jan. 16, watchstanders received a distress report that a 53-year-old male aboard the fishing vessel Jennifer Anne, located 115 miles east of Cape Ann, was experiencing chest pains. An HH-60 rescue helicopter and an HU-25 Falcon jet launched immediately. Once on scene, crew members hoisted the patient into the helicopter and transported him to Cape Cod Hospital. He was reported in good condition by 8:45 p.m.

Collision Between Bulk Carrier and Fishing Vessel — Southeast of Hull, Massachusetts (Jan. 11)

Sector Boston watchstanders received a call via VHF Channel 16 reporting a collision between the 600-foot bulk carrier West Bay and the 51-foot fishing vessel Michael Brandon, about 20 miles southeast of Hull at roughly 5 p.m. The West Bay reported no hull damage, but the Michael Brandon suffered extensive bow damage and took on water.

Watchstanders issued an urgent marine broadcast to alert nearby mariners. A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from Station Point Allerton responded. The helicopter crew arrived within 30 minutes and deployed a dewatering pump to slow flooding. When offshore repairs proved insufficient, the lifeboat towed the Michael Brandon to safety. All three people aboard the fishing vessel were brought to harbor near Scituate, Mass. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Flare Sighting Prompts Inquiry — Boothbay Harbor, Maine (Jan. 8)

A flare was reported in Georges River near Thomaston Harbor at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 by a Good Samaritan on shore. Sector Northern New England is requesting anyone with information—such as hunters or local boaters who may have been in the vicinity—to contact their command center to assist the inquiry.

Head Injury Medevac from Fishing Vessel — Gloucester, Massachusetts (Jan. 5)

Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod responded to a medical evacuation request from the fishing vessel Sammy Jo about 70 miles east of Gloucester. Sector Boston received a call at roughly 2 p.m. that a 55-year-old crewmember had sustained a head injury two days earlier and was now experiencing swelling. After consultation with a flight surgeon, the man was hoisted at 2:46 p.m. and transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for further treatment.

Sinking Fishing Vessel Rescue — South of Montauk, New York (Jan. 18)

An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued four mariners from the 76-foot stern trawler Johanna Lenore after the vessel began taking on heavy water approximately 40 nautical miles south of Montauk. Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders intercepted a radio distress call at about 3 p.m.; the crew reported pumps could not keep up with flooding. All four crewmembers donned survival suits and had an inflatable life raft and an EPIRB. Good Samaritan vessels assisted with dewatering attempts.

Rescue crews arrived and hoisted the mariners into the helicopter around 4 p.m. Shortly thereafter, the fishing vessel capsized and sank. The rescued mariners were transported to Coast Guard Station Point Judith, R.I., where emergency medical services evaluated them; they were reported in stable condition. Conditions at the time included 20–30 knot winds and 10–15 foot seas.

Injured Tugboat Engineer Rescued — Kingston, New York (Jan. 4)

An engineer aboard the tug Barbara McAllister suffered a leg injury and became trapped in the engine room while transiting the Hudson River en route to Albany. Coast Guard Sector New York dispatched the cutter Wire to Kingston. The cutter took on members of the Kingston Fire Department and local EMS to assist with the rescue. The injured engineer was safely transferred aboard the cutter, brought to Kingston Point, and handed over to local emergency medical services for further care. The Wire is home-ported in Saugerties, N.Y.

This article originally appeared in the April 2011 issue.