CHANNEL ISLANDS, Calif. — The Coast Guard responded to a report from a commercial fishing vessel of a missing crew member offshore Channel Islands Harbor, Calif., Saturday night, December 5th.
The commercial fishing vessel was fishing 5 nautical miles west of Channel Islands Harbor when one of the crew members on board noticed the vessel’s other crew member was missing and had been last seen at approximately 3:45 p.m. on the viewing deck of the vessel.
After noticing the missing crew member, the other crew member on board contacted the Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center on VHF Channel 16 at approximately 5:10 p.m.
Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach command center dispatched a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Channel Islands, an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles and the 87-foot patrol boat, Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip, to the scene.
While the Coast Guard assets were searching the area, and using a spotlight from the HH-65 helicopter, the missing person was found treading water, a quarter mile from where they were last seen on board the commercial fishing vessel at approixmately 5:45 p.m.
The 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Channel Islands rescued the person from the water and is currently transfering the hypothermic crew member to St. Johns Hospital in Oxnard, Calif.
