| Release #: 12-1 |
| Release date: Dec. 10, 2003 |
| Contact: Petty Officer Dana Warr |
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY |
DHS, DOD coordinate rescue, save two men off Cape Canaveral |
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators in Mayport, Fla., successfully coordinated the rescue of two boaters 30 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 5:30 p.m. today. George Lambert, a Bermuda resident, and the other boater reported having engine problems and were adrift in their 34-foot trawler off Cape Canaveral about 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. About thirty minutes later they reported a small leak around the propeller shaft. By 3:20 p.m., two-thirds of the engine room were full of water. At 3:40 p.m. communications were lost and the worst scenario had happened. The vessel sank and both men were now in the water. Coast Guard and Air Force assets were immediately launched. A rescue crew from Coast Guard Stations Cape Canaveral and Ponce De Leon Inlet got underway and Coast Guard aircraft, including an HH-60 Jayhawk and an HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., along with an HU-25 Falcon from Air Station Miami, Fla., were dispatched. The U.S. Air Force in Cape Canaveral launched two H-60 rescue helicopters to assist in the search efforts. The search and rescue coordinators also broadcast a notice to mariners which was picked up by the crew of the Capt. Billy Jr. At 5:20 p.m. the crew of the Capt. Billy Jr. spotted the two men and contacted the Coast Guard. Coordinators vectored the Air Force helicopters to the vessel. The men were hoisted safely into the aircraft. All other rescue crews were able to return to their stations. The two men were taken to Merrit Island Airport and then transferred to Holmes Regional Hospital. Both men were released in good condition. "Daylight could have become a significant factor in finding the two men but because the Capt. Billy Jr. crew received the broadcast to mariners and participated in the search efforts these two men are alive today," said Petty Officer Scott Carr, public affairs spokeman for the Seventh Coast Guard District. Both men were wearing life jackets. -uscg- The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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