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COAST GUARD RESCUES MISSING FISHERMEN
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Coast Guard located and rescued two missing fishermen two and a half miles off Anclote Key early this morning.
Crews from an Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a C-130 airplane began searching for the two men after their 31-foot longliner Rogue became adrift about 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The helicopter crew was able to locate the vessel seven miles west of Anclote Key around 6:30 p.m., but the fishermen were not on board the vessel. Both aircraft began the search for the missing fishermen but had to suspend the search due to heavy weather.
Once the high winds of Tropical Storm Jeanne subsided, the crew of the helicopter was able to resume the search. At 2:05 a.m., only an hour after the helicopter crew arrived back to the last known position of the fishermen, the two men, Chris Stecker, 25, and Pablo Nuanez, 53, both of Tarpon Springs, Fla., were located inside a liferaft approximately two and a half miles off Anclote Key. The men were hoisted up to the helicopter and flown to Air Station Clearwater where they were examined by medical personnel and released.
This case, and another case involving two sailors adrift off Fort Myers Beach, Fla., early Sunday morning, illustrate the importance of planning before the arrival of a major storm. Luckily, the Coast Guard was able to send out rescuers in the heavy weather and all four boaters were rescued. However, Coast Guard response during heavy weather can be delayed and should not be anticipated by boaters who remain underway prior to the arrival of hazardous conditions.
Unfortunately, the helicopter crew was unable to get any video of the rescue.
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The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America. |
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