On December 9, the 88 foot long fishing vessel Sea Angels ran aground in Browns Inlet, North Carolina. The fishing vessel had suffered mechanical failure and went adrift. The crew sent out a distress call requesting assistance from the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard dispatched a 45-foot response boat along with a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to the scene and hoisted all four crewmen to safety off the Sea Angels. No reports of injuries.
Authorities state the Sea Angels went ashore in an area used by the United States Marine Corps for live-fire training. Since the 1940s, Browns Inlet has been prohibited due to the presence of unexploded ordnance scattered on the seafloor making salvage extremely dangerous.
Photo: uscg
Reports state the owners of the Sea Angels has hired a contractor to remove fuel off the fishing vessel. Authorities estimate 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel needs to be removed off the Sea Angels.
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.
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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.
On January 10, the 292 meter long, 176217 dwt bulk carrier JSW Salem ran aground on the Atlantic Ocean near Virginia Beach, Virginia. The JSW Salem had departed from Baltimore and was headed for Inixy, India with 120,000 tons of coal when it ran aground off Cape Henry. The bulk carrier alerted the Coast Guard who dispatched the 45 foot long response boat and a helicopter to the scene. An inspection found the JSW Salem had suffered no damage and no pollution had been released. The vessel was able to refloat itself on the rising tide and proceeded to a nearby anchorage. No reports of injuries. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
