Jacksonville brothers, friend clung to cooler for three days in ocean before rescue

Two Jacksonville brothers and a friend who are the lucky survivors of spending three days at sea clinging to a cooler after their boat flipped during a fishing trip off Mayport Sunday expect to be in the arms of their families later tonight, the U.S. Coast Guard said this afternoon. "Anytime you have a search and rescue case like this, luck is going to play a factor if they're going to come home," said Michael Hulme, a Coast Guard spokesman said. "We're extremely excited the three individuals will be able to go home tonight with their families."

3 Boaters Missing Off Mayport - Jacksonville Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for three boaters who left Mayport Sunday morning and did not return by the end of the day. Authorities said John J. Navaraz, 32, Elijs Navaraz, 31, and Rebecca Sullivan, 28, did not return as scheduled on Sunday night. The truck that the group used to launch their 20-foot pleasure craft named Problem Child remained at the boat ramp in Mayport.

Coast Guard Continues Searching for Missing Workers in Oil Rig/Platform Explosion

At least four Mississippi men were among 11 workers missing after an oil rig explosion off the Louisiana coast. The Coast Guard continued its search by sea and air Thursday as anxious families huddled around telephones awaiting hourly updates from authorities. "We're all just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring and hoping for good news. And praying about it," said 23-year-old Andrea Cochran, whose father, Dewey Revette, was among the missing. Revette, a 48-year-old from Wayne County in southeast Mississippi, worked as a driller on the rig and has been with rig owner Transocean Ltd. for 29 years. Several people from Wayne County, near the Alabama line, were on the rig. Like much of Mississippi, Wayne County is a rural area with few high-paying jobs, so many of the men there head for the oil fields to support their families.

Potential for big spill after oil rig sinks

PORT FOURCHON, La. - The oil rig that exploded, caught fire and then sank 36 hours later could lead to a major oil spill, officials said Thursday, and as a result a remotely operated vehicle is surveying the seas and assets ranging from aircraft to containment booms are ready to be deployed. At a press conference, the officials also said hope was running out for 11 workers still missing after the blast Tuesday night off the coast of Louisiana. The Coast Guard said its search would probably continue for another 12 hours or so.

Workers Missing After Oil-Rig Explosion - 11 remain missing

Twelve people were missing and seven critically injured after an explosion and fire at an oil-drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter and crew document the fire aboard the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, while searching for survivors. .The rig, about 41 miles off the Louisiana coast, is owned and operated by Transocean Ltd. and contracted to British oil major BP PLC. A spokesman for Transocean said most of the 126 people on board were safe. A Coast Guard spokeswoman said 12 were still missing but said reports indicated that all 126 people got off the rig. The rig was still burning and listing. Four Coast Guard helicopters and an airplane are being used in rescue operations and five Coast Guard cutters are also responding, the Coast Guard said. "We are still in a search and rescue operation," Transocean spokesman Greg Panagos said. Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish, has said that the missing people were in a lifeboat that drifted away from the rig while rescue workers were helping others. __________________________________ 11 remain missing on Thrusday::: One lawsuit filed

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A lawsuit is claiming the companies involved in an oil platform explosion off the Louisiana coast were negligent. The lawsuit was filed in New Orleans on Thursday on behalf of a Mississippi man who worked on the rig and is one of 11 people still missing after the blast. The lawsuit says Shane Roshto, of Amite (Ah-mit) County, Miss., was thrown overboard in the Tuesday night explosion and is feared dead. The rig is owned by Transocean Ltd. and was under contract to oil giant BP. Both are defendants in the lawsuit. A Transocean spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment and BP wouldn't discuss the suit.

Boating Accidents Jacksonville Florida

There has been a rash of boating accidents and water related deaths in Jacksonville lately.

Teen Drowns in Trout River; One Man Missing in Julington Creek

A 16-year-old's body was pulled from the Trout River late Sunday night, ending the search for teen who fell into the water while fishing near Main Street. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified the teenager as Ladre McNeal of Jacksonville. Rescue crews have also called off a separate search for a man who fell off a small boat in Julington Creek. Police say that man is 29 year old Shane Wiggins of Jacksonville.The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff's Office rushed to the Trout River near Main Street around 4:30 Sunday afternoon after reports the teen fell in the water trying to retrieve a bait box near rocks and never surfaced. Dive teams found McNeal's body before 10 p.m. and said the drowning is still under investigation. Around 5 p.m. another possible drowning sent teams from the Coast Guard, Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, Clay County Sheriff's Office and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to Julington Creek near the St. Johns County line. Bujeda says a man and woman were fishing in a small boat when the man fell off the boat and never came up from the water.

Coast Guard searches for Missing Teen on Cruise Ship - Bruce O'Krepki

TAMPA - The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico by boat and from the air for a second day Tuesday for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation. The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft searched for him Tuesday, Petty Officer Rob Simpson said. O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.