Three mariners were rescued from the ocean northeast of Culebra, Puerto Rico, early Saturday morning by a Coast Guard helicopter crew after their fishing vessel became disabled in heavy seas on a journey from Florida to St. Thomas.
The MH-60T Jayhawk aircrew rescued the three men off the northern coast of Cayo Norte, just northeast of the island of Culebra, according to a Coast Guard report issued Monday night.
The rescued mariners — two U.S. citizens and a U.S. resident — were forced to abandon the 39-foot fishing vessel Dolphin II after it became disabled on two occasions near Cayo Norte during their transit from Florida to St. Thomas, according to the report.
The vessel remained anchored and partially submerged off Cayo Norte on Monday and the captain and Coast Guard were working out a plan to salvage the boat and recover about 70 gallons of diesel that remained in the fuel tanks, in hopes of protecting the area’s pristine waters, it said.
Coast Guard watch standers received a VHF Channel 16 distress communication from the Dolphin II at approximately 6:50 p.m. Friday requesting assistance after the vessel reportedly became disabled due to bad fuel, approximately 2.7 nautical miles northeast of Culebra, the agency reported.
Shortly thereafter, the Dolphin II reported that the engines were running and that no further assistance was required, the Coast Guard said, but about two and a half hours later, the captain reported that the vessel was once again disabled, and that they were looking to coordinate commercial towing assistance.
At approximately 2:28 a.m. Saturday, the captain requested rescue assistance due to flooding in the bilge compartments and the bilge pumps not working. He also reported the water level had reached the batteries, which forced them to shut down the electrical power onboard, according to the report.
Coast Guard watch standers directed the launch of the MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen and once on scene, the aircrew reported the boat was anchored but listing to the right as it was being impacted by heavy seas. The aircrew lowered the rescue swimmer and hoisted all three men safely aboard the aircraft, before the vessel capsized and partially sank with the bow sticking out of the water.
The survivors were transported to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were screened by awaiting Emergency Medical Service personnel. No medical concerns were reported, according to the report.
The Dolphin II remains anchored and partially submerged off the northern coast of Cayo Norte, it said. Coast Guard pollution responders are assessing the pollution threat and are working with the owner of the vessel to determine the plan and available courses of action to salvage the boat and recover any remaining fuel.
The captain said the fuel tanks were holding approximately 70 gallons of diesel when the vessel became disabled, according to the report.
“We are all glad that the coordination between Coast Guard watch standers and our responding aircrews helped bring these mariners to safety,” said Lt. Cmdr. Alberto Martínez, Search and Rescue mission coordinator for this case and Sector San Juan Incident Management Division chief.
“Our priority at this time is to continue working with the owner of the Dolphin II to remove any fuel from the vessel to protect the pristine environment of these coastal waters,” he said.
