Fishermen stuck 50 miles off GA coast after boat sinks, officials say. See the rescue
Two men were stranded at sea after their fishing boat sank nearly 50 miles off Georgia’s coast, officials say.
A signal was sent to Charleston Coast Guard from the boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon designating an issue near Savannah, according to a Sept. 28 U.S. Coast Guard news release. The 34-foot fishing vessel in distress — Lady Diane — had sunk, officials say.
Coast Guard officials contacted the boat’s owner, who reported that “the vessel was offshore fishing with approximately two people aboard,” the release says. The Charleston Coast Guard then attempted to contact the boat, which had no response.
A Savannah Coast Guard Air Station helicopter was deployed to locate the missing men, officials say.
“The responding aircrew arrived on scene, commenced searching and located two people in a life raft after they launched a flare to alert the aircrew of their position,” the release says.
The two men were pulled aboard the helicopter and transported to Hunter Army Airfield to be checked out by “emergency medical services personnel,” officials say. No health issues were reported.
The process of locating the men drifting at sea happened “within minutes,” the case’s aircraft commander Sarah Anderson said in the release, thanks to the men’s use of their “lifesaving equipment.”
It is highly recommended anyone planning to go offshore to carry an emergency position indicating radio beacon and a personal locator beacon in addition to other precautions, Coast Guard boating safety specialist Scott Szczepaniak said in the release. Cell service can be iffy when out on the water, Szczepaniak said, and it shouldn’t be relied on for communication.
The vessel incident remains under investigation, the release says.
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 12:52 PM.
