Guam – Coast Guard and Navy search and rescue crews partnered to effectively search the waters off of Guam for a 25-foot fishing vessel with two persons on-board which departed Merizo early Tuesday morning and failed to return that afternoon.
Coast Guard Sector Guam watchstanders received a call from the Guam Fire Department 911 dispatch center at 9:03 pm Tuesday night. The Coast Guard immediately launched a 45-foot Response Boat – Medium (RB-M) from Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor and requested assistance from the US Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) to search for the missing vessel.
An SH-60 helicopter from HSC-25 was the first to arrive on-scene and identified a 25-foot vessel 12 nautical miles southwest of Guam with two persons onboard, but was unable to make contact with the vessel. The helicopter vectored the Coast Guard RB-M to the location, and the personnel from the Coast Guard small boat conducted a boarding of the vessel to determine if the personnel were the missing fishermen and if they need assistance.
The mariners indicated they had experienced mechanical difficulties with their engines and radio systems, and due to the distance from shore, their cellular telephones did not receive a signal. The vessel was taken into tow by the RB-M and moored safely at Merizo pier at 12:45 am Wednesday morning.
Mariners are recommended to have a VHF-FM marine-band radio on board set to channel 16 to signal distress. The Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 communications system is capable of receiving distress calls on channel 16 from vessels up to 20 nautical miles offshore.