NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard assisted two boaters aboard a 42-foot disabled sailing vessel approximately 70 miles south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Saturday.
Coast Guard District Eight watchstanders received an alert from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center of a distress signal from a satellite communicator at approximately 5:20 p.m. reporting the boat had lost its engine and was requesting commercial towing services.
Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter air crew to establish communications and nature of distress. After commercial towing refused to respond that far offshore, watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, a 154-foot Fast Response Cutter, to assist.
The cutter arrived on scene at approximately 11:15 p.m. and the crew put the sailing vessel into a rear tow. The cutter towed the sailing vessel approximately 70 miles to the Pascagoula jetties, where the crew transferred the tow to commercial towing services at approximately 9:00 a.m. Sunday.
No injuries were reported.
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