Good Samaritans and Coast Guard Rescue 6 in Heavy Seas Off Louisiana Coast
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris, a pre-commissioned 154-foot Fast Response Cutter, pulls a person from the water April 13, 2021 after a 139-foot commercial lift boat capsized 8 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The Coast Guard and multiple good Samaritan vessels responded to the capsized vessel and searched for multiple missing people in the water. US Coast Guard photo, courtesy of DVIDS.
The Coast Guard continues to search for crew members of the Seacor Power, a 129-foot “lift boat” that capsized in heavy seas 8 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Tuesday evening. As of Wednesday afternoon one person is confirmed dead, six people have been rescued, and 13 remain missing.
At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard received an emergency distress signal from the Seacor Power. Upon hearing of the vessel’s dire situation, the Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast — in effect, a “mayday,” asking anyone in the area with the capability to respond. Four commercial vessels braved high winds and heavy seas and headed straight to the scene, followed shortly by Coast Guard vessels.
One of those to respond was Facebook user Project-Kevin Gilton, who recorded video of crew members of the Seacor being rescued from the water:
According to WWL-TV’s Chief Meteorologist Chris Franklin, winds in the area where the Seacor Power capsized hit upwards of 70 mph yesterday, and computer models estimated some wave heights at nearly 50 feet.
Facebook user Bruce J. Simon recorded videos of the vessel he was in being battered by the wind and waves as they navigated around the scene of the capsizing:
Ultimately the good Samaritans were able to pull four of the crew from the Seacor to safety. Lift boats, similar to the vessel seen below, are commonly used in the Gulf of Mexico to support a wide range of mineral extraction operations.
Roughly 30 minutes after the calls for help went out, the Coast Guard arrived. The Glenn Harris, a 154-foot Coast Guard fast response cutter, arrived and pulled a fifth Seacor crew member from the turbulent water. Shortly after that, a 45-foot response boat-medium crew operating out of Coast Guard Station Grand Isle rescued a sixth crew member.
Rescue crews worked through the night and continued to operate Wednesday searching for survivors. However, forecasts for Wednesday are similar to what occurred Tuesday, with winds up to 60 mph in some places.
The Coast Guard continues to dedicate considerable assets in order to rescue the 13 crew members of the Seacor Power who remain missing. According to a Wednesday Coast Guard press conference, the following assets are still actively searching for survivors:
- The Coast Guard cutter Glenn Harris.
- The Coast Guard cutter Amberjack.
- A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
- Two Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot response boats-medium.
- HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplanes from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi and Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama.
Read Next:
James Webb served as a US Marine infantryman from 2005 to 2010, completing a combat tour in Iraq. He’s worked as a freelance writer and photojournalist covering US troops in Afghanistan, and Webb spent more than two years in the US Senate as a military legislative assistant and as the personal representative of a member on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.
Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.
For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.
Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.
Ambushes make for great action scenes. Here are seven of the best to ever grace the big screen.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launch occurred Wednesday but gave no further details, such as how far the missile flew.
