Video: Tanker Crew Rescues Yacht in Challenging Weather off Bahamas

On Monday morning, a merchant tanker rescued three people from a sailboat in distress about 450 miles to the east of Daytona Beach, Florida.

The response began at 1520 hours on Sunday, when Coast Guard Southeast District received an EPIRB alert from an unnamed yacht northeast of the Bahamas. The watchstanders at Southeast District dispatched an HC-130 SAR aircraft to the area to search for the vessel.

At about 2030 hours, the aircrew found the vessel. Conditions on scene were rough, with 20-foot seas, and the yacht was adrift with torn sails. It was taking on water, and the crew needed evacuation.

The HC-130 aircrew put out a radio broadcast requesting help from any Good Samaritan vessels in the area. Tanker Radiant Pride responded and diverted to the scene, arriving at about 0220 hours on Monday morning. Despite challenging conditions on scene, the tanker's crew rescued three people from the stricken yacht.

"Due to the distance of the EPIRB activation and the weather conditions at the time, this rescue is a testament to the bravery and professionalism of all who were involved," said Lt. j.g. Jordan Shaw, HC-130 pilot, in a statement Tuesday.

Radiant Pride is a 74,000 dwt tanker owned in Greece. She is currently under way on a transatlantic voyage from Brownsville, Texas to Tarragona, Spain. AIS data shows that following the rescue, she diverted northwards in the direction of Bermuda, a convenient location for a personnel transfer.

Mutual aid is an age-old principle of conduct at sea and is enshrined in international law. Commercial ships are often the only assets available to respond in a timely manner for casualties far offshore, and as a result, mariners regularly rescue yachts and other small craft in distress on the high seas - often in challenging and dangerous circumstances.