On January 9, the 62 foot long tugboat Gulf Man sank 6 miles northeast of Andros Island, Bahamas. The Gulf Man with a barge under tow departed from Miami bound for the Bahamas when it sprung a leak. With the crew unable to control the flooding, the vessel began to sink. The Coast Guard received an alert from the Gulf Man‘s emergency position tracking radio beacon (EPIRB) and launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to the scene. The helicopter arrived on scene and hoisted all three crew off the sinking tug. No reports of injuries. The helicopter flew the crew to Nassau, Bahamas. No further details reported.
On January 10, the 140 meter long, 6407 dwt tanker Glard 2 collided with the 138 gt fishing vessel Dursun Ali Coşkun in the Black Sea some 5 miles off the coast of Kilyos, Turkey. The Glard 2 was headed to Izmir from Rostov-on-Don in heavy fog when it struck the fishing vessel. The Dursun Ali Coşkun quickly filled with water and sank within minutes. Three of the 6 crew on board the Dursun Ali Coşkun were later rescued from the water. The survivors were taken ashore and transported to hospital for treatment.
The Turkish Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation to look for the remaining three men. The Coast Guard dispatched multiple lifeboats, patrol boats and helicopters to the scene. Nearby fishing boats assisted in the operation. By the next day, the Coast Guard had recovered the bodies of the missing men. Reports state the men may have been trapped in the cabin on the Dursun Ali Coşkun and were not able escape before the fishing vessel sank.
Photo: ensonhaber.com
Photo: turkishmaritime.com
Photo: internethaber.com
Photo: internethaber.com
Reports state the Glard 2 proceeded to an anchorage near the entrance to the Istanbul Strait. No reports of injuries or pollution released from the tanker. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
On December 31, the 130 foot long fishing vessel Scandies Rose capsized and sank five miles southeast off Sutwik Island, Alaska. The Scandies Rose was heading out with a load of crab pots when it developed a heavy list to starboard. The master of the Scandies Rose desperately sent out a distress call while the six crew attempted to don survival suits. Two of the crew got their suits on and gone outside the wheelhouse when the fishing vessel lost stability and rolled over. The crew inside the wheelhouse could not be seen anywhere. The Scandies Rose had capsized so quickly that five men were trapped underwater in the wheelhouse.
The two men who had escaped tried in vain to hold on to the side of the hull. Both held on to the scuppers when a large wave washed them away. They continued to stay near the Scandies Rose as the vessel settled by the stern. In just a few minutes, only the bow was visible when the vessel’s two life rafts inflated and floated free. The two survivors were able to climb into one of the liferafts and awaited rescue. The signal light on their liferaft went dark a short time later making the liferaft less visible. In 20 foot swells with 40 mph winds and air temperature around 10 degrees, the two men had limited time to be rescued.
Photo: adn.com
The Coast Guard had received the distress call and dispatched helicopters to the last known location. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter along with a HC-130 Hercules airplane were dispatched to search for survivors. The Jayhawk helicopter arrived on scene and found a lit liferaft in the water. An inspection found it was empty, but the helicopter lights could be spotted by the two men in their liferaft. A short time later the helicopter arrived over the unlit liferaft with the survivors. The Coast Guard was able to hoist the two men to safety. Both survivors were suffering from hypothermia.
Photo: Uscg
The Coast Guard continued to search the area for the missing five crew from the Scandies Rose. Four helicopters and two aircraft were assisted by the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon searching a 300 square mile area for twenty hours before the search was suspended. Reports state authorities have launched an investigation into this incident.
