Recent Coast Guard Responses Across New England

The U.S. Coast Guard and local partners responded to multiple incidents across New England this season, from search-and-rescue operations to medical evacuations and pollution containment. The following summaries describe key actions taken by Coast Guard vessels, aircraft, and local agencies while protecting lives, property, and the marine environment.

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Gloucester Lobsterman

Boston — The Coast Guard suspended its search for a 43-year-old Gloucester man who fell overboard from the 39-foot lobster vessel Dominatrix approximately three miles south of Eastern Point, Gloucester, Massachusetts. The man was reported to have fallen while working on the stern of the vessel.

Search teams conducted an extensive effort lasting about 20 hours, covering roughly 139 square miles and executing ten distinct search patterns. Coast Guard assets included boat, helicopter, and fixed-wing jet crews. Local partners assisted throughout the operation, including the Gloucester and Salem harbormasters, two Massachusetts Environmental Police boats, commercial vessels Gateway Endeavor and Manatee, and several local fishing vessels. Despite the broad search, crews were unable to locate the missing fisherman. (Oct. 13)

Good Samaritan and Coast Guard Save Four From Burning Pleasure Craft

Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire — A timely rescue by a passerby prevented a worse outcome after a pleasure craft caught fire about 11 miles inland on the Cocheco River. Station Portsmouth Harbor launched a 25-foot boat in response to a Dover Police Department notification and coordinated with local fire personnel to extinguish the blaze.

Four people — two adults and two children from Lee, N.H. — were aboard the burning vessel. A good Samaritan removed the occupants from the craft before Coast Guard crews began firefighting efforts. Portsmouth Fire Department later extinguished the fire. The children sustained injuries and were taken to a regional hospital for treatment. The damaged vessel burned down to the waterline and was secured ashore. The New Hampshire Marina Patrol planned an investigation to determine the fire’s cause. (Sept. 20)

Aircrew Hoists Ill Fisherman From Stern Trawler

Coast Guard Sector Boston — A medical evacuation carried out by Coast Guard aircrews brought a seriously ill fisherman to definitive care after he experienced chest pains aboard the 76-foot stern trawler Lilly Jean, about 120 miles east of Provincetown, Mass.

The vessel contacted Coast Guard Sector Boston via VHF-FM radio to request assistance. A Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod executed a hoist and transported the fisherman to Hyannis, where local emergency medical services met the helicopter and transported the patient to a hospital for further evaluation and treatment. (Sept. 3)

Wellcraft Strikes Object, Partially Submerges and Spills Fuel

Portsmouth, New Hampshire — A 34-foot Wellcraft struck an object in the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth, causing a gasoline spill and leaving the vessel partially submerged at a pier in South Eliot, Maine. Three people aboard were taken to a hospital for evaluation: two with minor injuries and one with several broken bones and additional trauma.

Pollution-control measures were put in place immediately. The Piscataqua River Cooperative deployed containment boom around the vessel to limit fuel spread, and the Coast Guard contracted Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Inc. to handle cleanup operations. The Coast Guard will oversee the response and remediation efforts using federal funds, while the Maine Marine Patrol conducts an accident investigation. (Sept. 9)

These incidents demonstrate the range of Coast Guard missions in New England, from search-and-rescue and medical evacuations to firefighting support and environmental protection. Coordination with local harbormasters, police, fire departments, state agencies, commercial vessels, and volunteer mariners remains essential to safeguarding the region’s coastal waters and boating communities.

This article originally appeared in the New England Home Waters Section of the December 2009 issue.