The specialized boat St. John Rescue depends on for the improbable is in desperate need. Routine maintenance revealed significant corrosion to its engines, meaning Marine II needs to be outfitted with new, powerful outboards capable of surmounting the dire conditions the boat is designed to face. The bill is a whopping $42,000, representatives of the nonprofit emergency services organization said Monday.
St. John Rescue fielded 57 emergency calls in 2025 and sent out Marine II 38 times, said public information officer Langley Shazor.
Twenty-one of those calls were the hair-raising kind: vessels in mechanical distress or taking on water after running aground, missing paddle boarders, missing swimmers, snorkelers and divers, and drownings.
“Our rescue vessel is also used to extract injured persons from remote areas such as beaches and hiking trails. This capability dramatically reduces the time necessary for patients to receive definitive care at the hospital,” Shazor said. “Marine emergencies are unpredictable, and having a fully capable primary vessel is essential to saving lives and protecting responders.”
With no morgue or related cooling services on St. John, Marine II was called on 17 times to transport bodies from St. John to St. Thomas, he said.
Other missions were to prevent potential catastrophe. The boat is regularly called on for community events as a standby in case of emergencies. In 2025, it was on call for the Beach to Beach Power Swim, Paddle for Paws paddleboard race, Coral Bay Yacht Club Sailboat Regatta, and Friends of the National Park Gala on Lovango Cay.
Marine II is no ordinary rescue boat, Shazor said.
The specially engineered rescue vessel is designed to operate in unforgiving environments like the North Sea. It’s capable of quickly deploying into heavy seas exceeding six feet, day or night, utilizing Garmin GPS charts, and marine radios capable of monitoring multiple VHF radio frequencies. Marine II carries 200 gallons of fuel for extended range and is powered by twin 200-horsepower engines capable of speeds exceeding 35 miles per hour while carrying eight people. Onboard, it is equipped with oxygen and airway management tools, trauma dressings and immobilization gear, as well as an automated external defibrillator for cardiac arrest, Shazor said. It is also equipped with dewatering pumps capable of removing 4000 gallons of water per hour from sinking vessels and tools capable of plugging a ranging size of holes in hulls.
“Marine I, on the other hand, is a recreational boat designed to be operated in fair conditions,” he said. “It is designed to be driven in calmer bays, is powered by twin 115-horsepower engines, and carries 70 gallons of fuel. It can reach speeds of roughly 25 miles per hour in calm conditions while carrying four rescuers. Marine I is not equipped with GPS charts so is unable to navigate at night.”
The volunteer-based organization is asking for the community’s support to help restore Marine II to service as quickly as possible. Donations and assistance toward the repower effort will have an immediate and measurable impact on rescue readiness and response capability,” Shazor said.
Donations to St. John Rescue can be made at their Gifft Hill headquarters or sent to P.O. Box 1225, St. John, V.I. 00831 or through this link: https://stjrescue.networkforgood.com/projects/78175-the-life-we-save-could-be-yours.
