USCG Rescues Two Mariners Missing for More Than 100 Hours
The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting a successful conclusion to an intensive search and rescue mission that had been underway for four days after a small boat was reported overdue. The 47-foot vessel named Lucky Harvest was finally located more than 100 miles west/southwest of Guam.
Authorities in the Northern Mariana Islands declared the vessel missing on Tuesday, May 13, after it failed to arrive in Saipan late on Monday. It was traveling from Alamagan Island to Saipan when it was declared overdue and the local authorities requested the assistance of the USCG.
The cutter USCG Myrtle Hazard, which was on a patrol in the area, was diverted to a location approximately 38 miles northwest of Rota, which they believed was the vessel’s last known position. Early reports said there might have been some intermittent communication, but when no sign of the vessel was found, the USCG intensified the search.
The Coast Guard reported by Wednesday that a U.S. Navy Knighthawk helicopter had also joined the search efforts along with a P-8 Poseidon aircraft. It was in addition to the USCG aircraft and vessel, a Saipan-based Department of Public Safety vessel, and the missing boat’s sister vessel. A marker buoy was deployed to track ocean currents, and efforts to contact the vessel by cellphone and radio continued but were unsuccessful.
Winds in the area were at 15 knots and the seas were generally reported to be running 5 to 7 feet.
Friday morning, May 16, the USCG reports the Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam received a distress signal from the Lucky Harvest’s emergency beacon and was able to pinpoint a location. It is unclear when the two individuals aboard the boat had activated the beacon, but USCG also reports the vessel was having electrical outages.
Approximately three hours after receiving the signal, the U.S. Navy’s helicopter crew was able to spot the disabled and drifting boat. Pictures show the two mariners had written SOS on the roof of their boat.
The helicopter hoisted one of the two mariners to safety and continued to monitor the boat until the Myrtle Hazard was able to reach it. The cutter was to take aboard the second individual and tow their boat to port.
The Coast Guard is reporting that both individuals are in good medical condition after being brought aboard and meeting with teams. They were gathering more information from interviews with the two individuals.