Posts Tagged ‘Sector St. Petersburg’
Coast Guard suspends search for 2 men in Gulf
YANKEETOWN, Fla. - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two men 20-miles southwest of Yankeetown, at 5:40 p.m., Tuesday, pending further developments.
Coast Guard Suspends Search For Possible Missing Boater
FORT DESOTO, Fla. - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a possible missing boater in the vicinity of Fort Desoto, at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Coast Guard Searching After Finding Empty Canoe
FORT DESOTO, Fla. - The Coast Guard, along with several local agencies, have been searching for a possible missing boater in the vicinity of Fort Desoto, since about 10 a.m. this morning.
Coast Guard Rescues Three Men After Boat Overturns
TIERRA VERDE, Fla., - Rescue crews from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, Fla., and Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., rescued three men at about 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, after their 17-foot boat overturned near Egmont Key, in Tierra Verde.
Coast Guard Rescues 4 From Life Raft in the Gulf of Mexico
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Coast Guard rescued four fishermen from a life raft at about 7:40 a.m. Friday after their 32-foot commercial-fishing vessel began taking on water and sunk 32-nautical miles west of Clearwater, Fla.
Capt. Darren Stanwood, 44, of Orlando, Fla., Tom Hunter, 46, of Zephyrhills, Fla., Dennis Grimm, 53, of Madeira Beach, Fla., and Lisa Mercer, 42, of Hudson, Fla., were aboard the Lady Juanita, homeported in Madeira Beach, when the crew noticed that the vessel was riding low in the water. A crewmember opened a forward compartment and saw that it was flooded. Four-foot waves began crashing over the bow of the vessel, and it quickly began taking on water. Stanwood called Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., at 6:26 a.m., Friday, on VHF channel 16 and reported the vessel’s approximate coordinates and nature of distress.
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders used the Rescue 21 system to confirm the vessel’s position and launched an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater at 6:29 a.m. to assist the distressed fishermen.
At 6:33 a.m., the fishermen abandoned ship and entered a life raft before the vessel capsized and sunk. The Coast Guard helicopter located them at 7:11 a.m. and began hoisting the fishermen at 7:13 a.m. The rescue crew completed hoisting all four people at about 7:40 a.m. and brought the survivors to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in good health with no reported injuries.
“The fact that the Lady Juanita crewmembers kept the proper life-saving equipment onboard the vessel was instrumental in saving their lives,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Heath Montembeault, an operations controller at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “They used a marine radio, life jackets and a life raft, and gave us quick, clear and concise information that helped us coordinate their rescue. In addition, with the use of our Rescue 21 system, we were able to obtain an accurate position of the vessel and rescue them very quickly,” added Montembeault.
Coast Guard Rescues Two Men From Life Raft After Their Boat Sinks
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., hoisted two men from a life raft at about 5:45 a.m., Wednesday, after their commercial-fishing vessel sunk 72-miles west of Clearwater.
Elisseos Stamtiou, 69, of New Port Richey, Fla., and Steven Sander, 48, of Spring Hill, Fla., were rescued after their 36-foot commercial-fishing vessel, the Evripos, homeported in Tarpon Springs, Fla., became disabled early Wednesday morning, began taking on water and sunk.
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., watchstanders received a call from a Good Samaritan at 3:25 a.m., Wednesday, reporting that he had overheard a mayday call on VHF channel 16 but was unable to locate the source of the call.
Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a signal at 4:53 a.m. from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPRIB) that had been activated 72-miles west of Clearwater.
A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HH-60 rescue-helicopter crew was launched at about 5:15 a.m. to search the area. At 6:45 a.m., the rescue crew located Stamtiou and Sander in the life raft, hoisted them to the helicopter and brought them to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.
There were no injuries reported, and both men declined medical treatment.
“The EPIRB that was onboard was instrumental in saving these guy’s lives today. Once it activated, our search area became a lot smaller, which helped us find and rescue them a lot faster than if they hadn’t had one onboard,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Heath Montembeault, a Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstander. “It is very important to have safety equipment onboard any vessel and to test it occasionally to be sure it is in working order. Doing so could help save your life or the lives of anyone else aboard your vessel.”
Missing Sailor Located Deceased in Caloosahatchee River
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Coast Guard suspended its two-day search for a missing 60-year-old sailor after a Good Samaritan located him deceased at about 9 a.m. Saturday in the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Fla.
Stephen G. Nelson, of North Fort Myers, Fla., was reported missing Friday when a marine unit from the Cape Coral Police Department located Nelson’s unmanned, adrift 25-foot sailboat in the Caloosahatchee River, about one and a half miles from Nelson’s residence, with the sail at half mast and a few personal belongings onboard.
Coordination efforts from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., and rescue assets from Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Cape Coral Police Department aided in the two-day search.
FWC is investigating the incident.
Coast Guard Sets Port Condition YANKEE For The Ports Of Tampa, St. Petersburg And Manatee
TAMPA, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port has set Port Hurricane Condition YANKEE for the ports of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Manatee. Gale-force winds from Tropical Storm Fay threatens to impact the Tampa Bay area within 24 hours. (Gale-force winds 32-63 mph).
As Tropical Storm Fay nears West Florida, the Coast Guard urges recreational and commercial mariners to prepare now. Boaters are urged to move boats from the projected path of the storm to ensure their safety and the safety of their vessels. Both recreational and commercial mariners should be aware of the following measures that may take place before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fay.
Bridges:
Drawbridges will be closed and locked in the down position within eight hours prior to the arrival of gale-force winds.
Closed: A bridge closure means the bridge will remain in the down position unless there is an emergency situation, such as a vessel removing hazardous cargo away from an area a storm is anticipated to affect.
Locked: Once a bridge is locked, it will not be opened until bridge crews are able to return after the storm passes. Crews may not be able to immediately return to a bridge or may not be able to re-open it depending on available access to the bridge, damage to the area and power outages.
Ports:
A 24-hour alert has been issued for Tropical Storm Fay at 10 a.m. Aug. 18. At this time, waterfront facilities should continue removing potential flying debris, hazardous materials and oil pollution hazards from dockside areas. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port may require additional precautions to ensure the safety of the port and waterways.
Preparation/Vessels in the storm:
Assistance from Coast Guard and other crews may be severely degraded or unavailable immediately before, during or after a storm. Mariners are urged not to “ride out,” a hurricane or tropical storm at sea. Owners of smaller pleasure craft are urged to seek a safe haven for their boat prior to the approach of Tropical Storm Fay. The only anchorages allowed in Tampa Bay are only for vessels waiting to load or unload explosives. If unable to avoid the storm, mariners should ensure they are wearing lifejackets and know how to activate distress signaling devices.
After a storm:
Navigational aids may be moved or destroyed by heavy weather. Mariners should not completely rely on the position of the aids after a storm, until Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Teams and cutters are able to verify and reposition them. All methods for determining position should be used following a storm to ensure safety.
Mariners should also check with local authorities before entering a storm-damaged area and should be alert for debris or pollution in the water while transiting damaged areas after a storm and report any sightings of such to the Coast Guard or local emergency agencies.
At the present time, the U.S. Coast Guard further anticipates the setting of Port Hurricane Condition ZULU on or about 10 p.m. Aug. 18, recognizing that this timeline may change.
For additional information please call Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at 727-824-7506.