Four U.S. Citizens Rescued After Sailing Vessel Sinks In Atlantic Ocean

Four U.S citizens were rescued from a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank waters, located north of the Dominican Republic, after their sailing vessel, Mariposa sank.

The rescue operation involved the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew of the Crowley container ship El Coquí, and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza.

The survivors were identified as David Potts, aged 63, John Potts aged 62, Andrew Cullar, aged 26, and Russel Case, aged 67.

They were forced to abandon their vessel after it struck a submerged rock and was hit by a large wave. This caused the vessel to roll on its side. After striking another rock, the Mariposa’s hull was breached, and the ship began taking on water.

The waves flooded the vessel, and it eventually sank. The Mariposa was on a voyage from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to Portofino, Texas, with a planned stop in Key West, Florida.

The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center received an unregistered 406 Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon (EPIRB) signal on Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard immediately launched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to search for any signs of distress or survivors.

Along with the aircraft, Coast Guard watchstanders issued an Enhanced Group Calling (EGC) and an Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) callout. These calls notified vessels in the area to be on the lookout for a possible distress situation.

The U.S.-flagged motor vessel El Coquí, a 720-foot container ship travelling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Jacksonville, Florida, diverted to assist in the search for the survivors.

The Coast Guard aircrew, after arriving in the Silver Bank area, located the life raft with the four survivors. They also saw the Bonanza, a nearby fishing vessel, along with several smaller fishing boats.

However, they did not have direct communication with the Bonanza crew. The Coast Guard aircrew conducted several low passes over the vessel to get the crew’s attention.

Once the Bonanza crew was aware of the situation, they were directed to the position of the life raft.

The crew approached the life raft in the shallow waters and rescued the four survivors. After the rescue, the Bonanza crew transferred the survivors to the El Coquí. The ship is expected to arrive on Thursday.

During the search, the Coast Guard used the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system. This system provided valuable vessel profile information and emergency contacts for the Mariposa.

The information was available because the Mariposa’s 406 MHz Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon (EPIRB) had been registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which helped in planning the search.

Lieutenant Hannah M. Boyce, the Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft commander, discussed the importance of having proper emergency equipment, saying that the rescue would not have been possible without the mariners’ preparedness.

Reference: USCG

Source: Maritime Shipping News