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Tag: coast guard

  • Kaylyn Rose Sommer: Search Suspended for Woman Who Went Overboard from Cruise Ship

    Kaylyn Rose Sommer went overboard from a cruise ship off the coast of Cuba on Thursday. Despite their best efforts, the Coast Guard suspended the search for her on Sunday.

    The ship from which Kaylyn Rose Sommer went overboard was the Norwegian Pearl. The tour was run by Mad Decent, a Los Angeles record label, in conjunction with DJ Diplo. The cruise was a four-day music festival that was headed from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico.

    Kaylyn Rose Sommer reportedly went overboard from the ship’s deck at about 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. Both CNN and The Miami Herald quoted a statement from Norwegian Cruise Lines that claims she went overboard intentionally. Reuters reached out to the cruise line for confirmation of this report, but received no reply.

    Coast Guard Capt. Todd Coggeshall issued a statement to the media when the search was suspended on Sunday.

    “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones affected by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “We are all sons and daughters, and many of our responders have young children themselves. Suspending search efforts is always a painful decision, particularly when it involves a young mother.”

    According to Coast Guard officials, Kaylyn Rose Sommer fell about 80 feet into the water. The Coast Guard searched 1,378 square nautical miles looking for her.

    This tragedy comes a week after a Brazilian man went overboard from a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship off the Bahamas. The Coast Guard ended the search in that case as well.

    Whether Kaylyn Rose Sommer went overboard intentionally or not remains to see determined. Despite that possibility, this is indeed a tragedy for all involved.

  • Lone Survivor of Capsized Boat Expresses Guilt

    Commercial fisherman Phillip Sanchez has expressed gratitude tinged with guilt, after becoming the lone survivor of a boating accident that killed four of his friends off the coast of Northern California Saturday.

    A sneaker wave capsized the 32-foot boat Sanchez was a passenger on during a crabbing gig near Bodega Bay, situated roughly 70 miles north of San Francisco. Sanchez, 66, swam for 25 minutes in 59-degree water, and severely lacerated his arm when he reached a rocky shore. Three men and one woman died in the incident off the Sonoma Coast.

    Sanchez, who was pulled off of a rock via a sheriff’s office helicopter long line commented that his will to survive saved his life – “I just knew I had to get there if I was going to make it.”

    Those who died are Jessie Daniel Langley, 79, and Sam Garcia, 86, both of Bodega Bay, and David Costa, 60, of Ripon. The fourth victim’s identity has yet to be revealed. Commenting on the drownings, Sanchez said that no one on board was wearing a life jacket. “We’re commercial fisherman. Nobody wears ’em,” the angler remarked.

    The following clip describes the general process of California crab fishing:

    A sneaker wave, also called sleeper wave per the vernacular of the region, is a disproportionately intense coastal swell that can unexpectedly arise in the surf. Sanchez, who sustained no life-threatening injuries, said he never saw it coming, and that his friends were gone in a matter of seconds.

    While maintaining that he feels lucky to be alive, Sanchez has expressed survivor’s guilt. “I got to deal with the guilt, why me? That’s the hardest part,” Sanchez told San Francisco’s KGO-TV.

    The U.S. Coast Guard is presently investigating the incident, and Garcia’s widow revealed that she went out fishing with her husband for years, and never wore a life vest.

    “I went out with him for years, we didn’t wear life jackets. We knew where they were, but they’re so cumbersome,” Judy Garcia remarked.

  • Hawaii Kayaker Attempts Trip To California, Rescued By Coast Guard

    A 57-year-old man who attempted to kayak from California to Hawaii was rescued in Santa Barbara, 11 days after he started his journey.

    According to reports, the man had all the things he needed to complete his journey including electronic equipment and solar panel technology to charge his equipment. However, the solar panel failed and left him without electricity. The Coast Guard said that they received a distress call from the man on Tuesday, saying that he was disoriented.

    After the solar panel malfunctioned, the man decided to turn around and head back to California, but couldn’t find his way back.

    The Coast Guard’s helicopter spotted the man about 60 miles southwest of Santa Barbara. The officials gave directions to a boat that rescued the man.

    Timothy Hall, Petty Officer 2nd Class at the Coast Guard Long Beach command center said, “A voyage from California to Hawaii is a long and treacherous journey for any vessel and exponentially more dangerous for a kayaker.” The fact that he had all the equipment he needed enabled him to call for help, but the man is lucky to be alive.

    The man’s friend told the Coast Guard that he left Monterey in a kayak on May 30 to attempt traveling 2,400 miles to Honolulu.

    Adam Eggers, the Coast Guard’s spokesman, said that he has never heard of a kayaker successfully travelling from California to Hawaii. “It’s a no-joke trip. You have to know what you’re doing and be in shape to do it,” he said.

    Reports said that the man was not too disappointed that he was not able to complete his journey. He was found in good health.

    “He can attempt it again at his convenience, as long as he’s checking the weather and things like that,” Eggers said. The next time he does it, he may have more luck on his side.

    Image via YouTube

  • Turks and Caicos Capsizing Leaves 18 Dead

    On Christmas Day, a 28-foot boat transporting Haitian migrants capsized roughly 100 meters from Providenciales, an island located within the Turks and Caicos Islands. The ship was in the process of being escorted to shore by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force around 3 a.m. EST. Tragically, eighteen of the passengers have been killed. However, 32 passengers were rescued including a 12-year-old boy. Officials are still in the process of searching for missing individuals, which includes a 10-year-old child.

    Though the exact cause behind the accident has not been officially declared, some have speculated on the chain of events that influenced the outcome. Some claim that the behavior of the migrants themselves ultimately caused the capsizing. Karlo Pelissier, who is the Haitian consul to the Turks and Caicos, said that passengers jumped from the boat in an effort to reach land, which caused the boat to ultimately turn. Pelissier spoke about the health condition of the individuals who were fortunate to be recovered safely from the water. “They are tired, but they are OK,” he said.

    Salim Succar, who is an adviser to Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, spoke about the devastating incident. “We are saddened by such tragedy and present our condolences and prayers to the families and friends of those affected by this accident.”

    According to an official statement, “Police are still searching for the handful of people who reached shore and fled the scene, and their investigations into the incident continue.”

    U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sabrina Laberbesque reported that the U.S. Coast Guard sent two helicopters to the scene in order to aid in the rescue efforts. In addition, two emergency-response vessels were sent to the area of the accident by the Florida Coast Guard.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mathews Bridge Accident Could Have Been Catastrophic

    The Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, FL was shut down on Thursday afternoon after being hit by a US Navy transport ship that was being towed by tugboats.

    Will Watts with the Florida Department of Transportation called the collision a “very surprising, near catastrophic impact. About as bad as you can get.”

    The Mathews Bridge spans the St. John River. About 56,000 vehicles cross it daily, meaning the closure will result in traffic delays for many in the area. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Leonard Propper called the closure “the most significant delay the city has seen in a long time.”

    The bridge will be closed indefinitely as the Florida Department of Transportation assesses the amount of structural damage caused by the collision.

    According to a spokesman for the DOT “the part of the bridge that gives the weight support for the traffic… was damaged. That means it can’t hold the weight, it can’t hold the traffic.”

    Officials are enforcing a 200-yard safety zone on both sides of the bridge, but lifted the safety zone in the river itself on Thursday night after determining that there was no potential danger to river traffic passing below.

    The ship that hit the bridge was identified as USNS 1st Lt. Harry Martin, a former US Marine vessel that was turned over to the Sealift Command. The ship was being moved from Blount Island Marine Command by a third party towing company so the slipway at Blount Island could be dredged.

    While the DOT investigates the condition of the Mathews Bridge, the US Coast Guard is investigating who is responsible for the collision.

    Rod Sullivan is an experienced maritime attorney who says the Coast Guard needs to be accountable for having approved the passage plan submitted by the towing company. Clearly, the ship’s highest point couldn’t clear the bottom of the Mathews Bridge.

    “I don’t see any criminal or civil charges here, particularly in light of the fact that the Coast Guard approved the plan,” said Sullivan. “But there is negligence.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Yacht Explosion: Coast Guard Claims It Was All a Hoax

    Yacht Explosion: According to the Coast Guard, the whole story was nothing more than a very expensive hoax. Last night, an emergency call came across the line that claimed a boat had exploded off the New Jersey coast, forcing all 21 passengers to abandoned ship. Although there were no reported fatalities, nine individuals reportedly suffered serious burns. The New York City Police, along with the Coast Guard and emergency services, rushed to the scene. All in all, over 200 people had amassed to help the survivors of this horrific accident.

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    Authorities spent hours looking for the wreckage of Blind Date, the vessel that had reportedly exploded. When no wreckage from the boat could be found, officials became skeptical. Their concerns about the legitimacy of the report were compounded by the fact that they couldn’t locate any of the survivors, who were supposedly floating around on life rafts. Finally, after wasting a considerable amount of time searching the area for the boat and its passengers, the Coast Guard called off the rescue mission.

    Turns out, the whole thing was just a hoax.

    Kenneth Pierro, commander of the Coast Guard Sector New York, was none too pleased about the situation. “More than 200 first responders assembled mass casualty receptions areas in Newark, and Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook, N.J., preparing to receive the reported injured passengers,” he explained. “This case is now being investigated as a possible hoax call.”

    In an effort to track down the individual responsible for making the call, authorities are offering a $3,000 reward for information resulting in the prosecution of the hoaxer. Making false distress calls is a felony, and could land the perpetrator in prison for five to ten years.