SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier rescued five boaters from a disabled vessel 13 nautical miles off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Saturday afternoon.
Rescued are four men and a woman, who came into distress after their 18-foot recreational vessel Michelle Marie II became disabled in eight-foot seas and started taking on water.
“The situation and conditions on-scene could have caused this vessel to capsize at any given moment,” said Capt. Robert E. Stiles, Coast Guard Sector San Juan Search and Rescue mission coordinator for the case. “Thanks to the quick response and swift coordination between Coast Guard watchstanders and the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier crew all five lives were saved, and a tragic outcome was averted. Although we are very glad everyone aboard the Michelle Marie II is safe, we can’t overemphasize the importance of heeding small craft advisories and paying close attention to projected sea-states and weather conditions before going out to sea.”
Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call from a 911 emergency operator and a VHF-Channel 16 radio communication from the 18-foot recreational vessel Michelle Marie II reporting that the vessel and pumps onboard were disabled, and that the five people onboard were exhausted from manually bailing out water. Watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to advise nearby vessel traffic of the ongoing distress, they alerted Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action, they directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier to the scene.
As the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier arrived on-scene, the cutter crew spotted two signal flares that had been launched from the vessel Michelle Marie II. Cutter Joseph Napier deployed their Over-the-Horizon small boat which came alongside the vessel Michelle Marie II and the crew safely embarked the five passengers. The cutter Joseph Napier crew utilized a P-6 pump to help dewater the vessel, Michelle Marie II. Afterwards, the commercial salvage vessel Kraken arrived on-scene, embarked the survivors and transported them with the vessel Michelle Marie II in tow to the safety of Combate Beach in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
No injuries or medical emergencies were reported in this case.
Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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