Hong Kong rescuers to enter sunken boat with 18 Ukrainians on board

Hong Kong - Rescuers were Tuesday hoping to send divers inside a sunken tug boat with 18 Ukrainian sailors trapped on board, three days after it collided with a freighter off Hong Kong. Detailed plans of the Polish-made vessel have been obtained by the rescue team which hopes to be able to send divers in to look for survivors or the bodies of victims. Hope has virtually disappeared of finding anyone alive in the boat which sank 35 metres to the seabed after colliding with a freighter off Hong Kong on Saturday night. Divers aided by a large team of rescuers have been swimming to the vessel and rapping on its hull since Sunday morning but have so far detected no signs of life.

Still No Justice For USS Liberty??

Dave Gibson March 16, 2008 On June 8, 1967, the surveillance ship USS Liberty was on duty in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula, when it was attacked by Israeli forces. Though the ship was clearly marked, Israel claimed the act of war to simply be a case of "mistaken identity." Despite the loss of 34 American sailors, there has never been a meaningful investigation into the attack.

I have read about this incident many times. Any feedback or comments would be welcome.

Dwayne

Intrepid Reliance Tanker - crewman falls and is injured - Galveston Texas Coast Guard Medevacs man for help

HOUSTON - The Coast Guard medevaced a 37-year-old man from a tanker approximately 15 miles south of Galveston, Texas, today.A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at 10:45 a.m. from the captain of the tanker Intrepid Reliance, reporting that a crewmember needed immediate medical attention. The crewmember had fallen from the bridge of the tanker to the main deck, a distance of 43 feet. The Coast Guard launched an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Houston to medevac the man. The rescue helicopter crew arrived at the tanker and hoisted the injured man. At about 12:40 p.m. the helicopter landed at Schole’s Airport in Galveston, Texas, where EMS was waiting to bring the injured man to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Coast Guard Cautions Against Illegal Charter Boats

BALTIMORE - The Coast Guard cautions passengers, who pay to go fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, to avoid boats that do not have licensed captains or has not been inspected by the Coast Guard.The Coast Guard advises passengers to ask boat captains to show their original Coast Guard issued license. If the boat is carrying more than six passengers, it is required to be inspected by the Coast Guard and the Certificate of Inspection should be displayed in an area visible to passengers.

Don't make the mistake of going out with an unlicensed skipper. It may cost you or your family your lives.

Dwayne

100 Yard Approach to Naval Vessels

Do not approach within 100 yards of any U.S. naval vessel. If you need to pass within 100 yards of a U.S. naval vessel in order to ensure a safe passage in accordance with the Navigation Rules, you must contact the U.S. naval vessel or the Coast Guard escort vessel on VHF-FM channel 16.

Patanela - Message in a Bottle - From the Boaters TV - Sailboat sinking mystery

This is a video clip from the Boaters TV about a sailing vessel that sank many years ago. She was the Patanela. If you have any information about this I am sure the families and friends would appreciate your help. Dwayne

New Coast Guard Boat

Washington (Aug. 8, 2007)- An artist's rendition of the Coast Guard Response Boat Medium (RB-M). On June 21, 2006, the Coast Guard Awarded a Contract to Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) for the detailed design and production of the 45-ft. RB-M with the goal of building approximately 180 45-ft. RB-M's to replace the 41ft UTB's and other non-standard UTM's at stations. The award was the culmination of an extensive effort to provide the Coast Guard with the right boat to meet current and future mission activities. The detailed design is complete and on June 28, 2007 the keel was laid for the first 45-ft. RB-M marking the start of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP). Illustration courtesy of Marinette Marine Corp.

Resolve Towing (Resolve Pioneer) Medical Evacuation Key West by Coast Guard

MIAMI — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 49-year-old man from the 190-foot motor vessel Resolve Pioneer Monday morning about 13 miles south of Key West, Fla. Search-and-rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Key West, Fla., received a call from a Resolve Pioneer crewmember at 4 a.m. Monday requesting a medical evacuation for a crewmember who suffered a facial laceration when a towing line parted. See Coast Guard Video here.

Atago had 12 minutes to act / Destroyer reportedly spotted fishing boat earlier than stated

A crew member on lookout duty on the Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis destroyer Atago saw a light believed to be that of a fishing boat 12 minutes before the two vessels collided, it was learned Wednesday. However, it also was learned that the radar crew of the 7,750-ton Atago did not notice the Seitoku Maru prior to the collision, according to the Defense Ministry.

Five injured in boating accident in Florida

LEE COUNTY: After a boating accident, five men on a business trip from Fort Wayne, Indiana were ejected and all of them had to paddle to shore on a boat's engine hood from the Monroe Channel.The boaters ran into a pole out on the water. Emergency workers say they probably hit the pole because it was not lit. Officials on the scene added the men actually had to paddle for over two hours, while sitting on top of the engine hatch, just to get back to shore.

Fatal boat accident is a mystery - unlit channel marker

Two men in a boat that slammed into a marker buoy in Victoria's southeast were killed instantly by the force of the crash, Victoria police say. The impact punched a large hole in the bow of the 5.4 metre runabout, which was taking on water circling under its own throttle when it was found at Lakes Entrance just after midnight, a spokesman said. Authorities say it is still a mystery how the two men, aged 35 and 36, failed to notice the buoy which was well marked on marine and boating maps.

Unlit channel markers can be very hazardous. Many are not required to be lit.

Dwayne

Gasparilla Boaters Beware; Officers Out to Scuttle Drunken Pirates

TAMPA, Fla. - More than 50 law-enforcement officers, including crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, will partner to keep local waterways safe during the upcoming Gasparilla Day celebration. Law-enforcement officers will provide educational information to boaters, conduct safety inspections afloat and target boaters operating watercraft under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Keep it clean.

Dwayne

Coast Guard Charges Tug Captain in McTeer Bridge Allision

From Coast Guard News

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Coast Guard completed its preliminary investigation into the allision between the crane barge towed by the Sara Kaitlin and the McTeer Bridge near Beaufort, S.C., April 26, 2007. The Coast Guard charged Captain Wright Gres, the operator of the Sara Kaitlin at the time of the accident, with negligence and misconduct. Specifically, the Coast Guard charged that the Captain: (1) did not take due care to ensure the boom could safely pass beneath the bridge, (2) operated beyond the scope of his license and (3) failed to immediately report the collision, as required by Coast Guard regulations. As part of the settlement agreement approved by an Administrative Law Judge, Gres agreed to a six month suspension of his license and will attend a Coast Guard approved Bridge Resource Management class.

Fallen Coast Guardsmen Remembered

 

Fallen Coast Guardsmen Remembered.

Crown Princess - NTSB: Crew to Blame for Tilting Ship

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Improper training and bad steering by a Princess Cruises ship's second officer caused the vessel to tilt suddenly in 2006, injuring almost 300 people, the National Transportation Safety Board determined Thursday. The NTSB said the Crown Princess' captain and crew failed to realize how fast they were going in shallow water, which threw the ship off course. The second officer disengaged autopilot to correct it, then steered the wrong way, the board determined