On August 24, the 40 foot long fishing vessel F.E.H. sustained damage on the Atlantic Ocean some 25 miles off Charleston, South Carolina. The F.E.H. had suffered water ingress and requested assistance. The Coast Guard dispatched a response boat from Charleston along with a helicopter from Savannah to assist. The Coast Guard delivered a dewatering pump and got the flooding under control. The response boat then took the F.E.H. under tow back to port. No reports of injuries to the 3 crew members on board the fishing vessel.
On August 12, a fixed-wing aircraft flew over the 39 foot long, 22 gt fishing vessel Karolee (Coast Guard ID: 248180) and attempted to make contact. The aircraft got no response from the fishing vessel. Flying over the vessel the Coast Guard found no signs of distress, but there was no activity on board the vessel. The next day the 26 meter long Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion (MMSI: 366999610) was dispatched to intercept the Karolee. The cutter reached the fishing vessel in the morning and found no one on board. The vessel had been rigged for fishing, the vessel lights were enabled and all the safety equipment was still in place. The only problem was there were no one on the vessel. The Sea Lion took the Karolee under tow and proceeded to Eureka, California where the fishing vessel was moored.
The Coast Guard launched a search between Cape Flattery up to La Push, Washington along the track the Karolee had travelled. After searching hundreds of miles from the water and the sea, the search was called off. The Coast Guard found no signs of the crew of the Karolee.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. What is known so far is that the fishing vessel Karolee departed from Washington with a single person on board. The sole person on board sent out a text message on the morning of August 8. He stated the weather was foggy and nearly had a collision with a whale. No further communication was sent from the vessel. The AIS system tracked the Karolee as it proceeded south at four knots along the Washington and Oregon coast. Several vessels had attempted to contact the Karolee, but got no response.
Photo: United States Coast Guard
It is uncertain what exactly happened on board the Karolee. At some point between August 8 and August 12, the sole crew member on board went overboard. The fishing vessel continued on its course south unmanned. It is unlikely any other details of what exactly happened on the fishing vessel will be known.
Photo: United States Coast Guard
The Karolee was built in 1945 and had been used for fishing salmon and albacore tuna. The vessel had been based in Port Townsend until 2018 and was reported to be based near Quilcene.
On August 18, the 229 meter long, 81681 dwt bulk carrier W Sapphire (IMO: 9605645) suffered an explosion on the Patapsco River off Baltimore harbor, Maryland. The W Sapphire had completed loading a cargo of coal and had just left the CSX Coal Dock when there was an explosion in the forward cargo hold. After the explosion, there was a large plume of smoke resulting from a fire. The bulk carrier sustained hull damage, but remained afloat. The Baltimore fire department dispatched firefighters and fireboats to the scene. Reports state the fire was under control by closing the vessel’s hatches, but the fireboats remained on scene. Tugboats assisted the bulk carrier to a nearby anchorage where the vessel could be inspected.
Reports state all 23 crew on board the W Sapphire were uninjured. The United States Coast Guard has detained the vessel. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident. There was some speculation that explosion was caused by coal dust, but there has been no confirmation from authorities. Some news accounts suggest the explosion was in the vessel’s engine room, but video captured of the incident makes that most unlikely.
