Accidents of the Week

Accidents of the Week - June 22, 2024

Accidents, Boat Wrecks, MOB, Crew Save, USCG, Sailors Stranded, Left at Sea

BoatTEST publishes “Accidents of the Week” as a public service for our VIP Subscribers to acquaint them with potential boating dangers and by inference their prevention.

Coast Guard Rescues Disabled Vessel Off Guam

6/13/24 – Santa Rita, GU

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

The 19-foot Uchan and her crew were rescued 25 miles offshore after suffering engine failure.

The U.S. Coast Guard successfully rescued a disabled vessel, Uchan, and her crew on 13 June, approximately 25 miles offshore of Guam, from Galves Banks. The operation involved a coordinated effort from the Joint Rescue Sub-Center (JRSC) Guam and U.S. Coast Guard Station Apra Harbor's 45-foot Response Boat-Medium.

JRSC watchstanders received a distress call via VHF CH 16 from the operator of the 19-foot vessel, Uchan, which reportedly had three persons aboard and was adrift due to engine troubles.

Engine Failure Caused by Water Contamination in Fuel

The JRSC Guam team immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) advising mariners in the area of the situation and assumed the role of Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC), under the direction of Cmdr. Ryan Crose, deputy sector commander.

Watchstanders directed the launch of the response crew, who arrived on the scene and assessed the engine failure was due to water contamination in the fuel line and tank. The vessel was placed in a stern tow and began the return journey to Malesso Pier, with an estimated time of arrival of 3.5 hours.

During the operation, Petty Officer 3rd Class Alexandra Avalos, a boatswain's mate and the coxswain, was at the helm conducting her first SAR tow flawlessly.

Five Rescued from Burning Boat in Monterey Bay

6/10/24 – Monterey Co., CA

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

A 47-foot boat caught fire in California’s Monterey Bay; Coast Guard and local crews rescued five boaters.

Five people were rescued from a burning boat by the U.S. Coast Guard and Monterey County crews in waters two miles off the Salinas River near Moss Landing, in California’s Monterey Bay, according to officials.

The Coast Guard received a report of a boat on fire two miles offshore of the Salinas River entrance, in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge area, at 3:30 p.m. on 10 June. Upon arrival, rescue personnel found a burning 47-foot water vessel.

Boat Towed to Port Preventing Diesel Discharge

All five occupants of the boat were evacuated by the Coast Guard while firefighters contained the burning boat, which was towed back to Monterey. The boat blaze was fully extinguished near the Monterey break wall, rescue personnel said.

According to the Coast Guard, they successfully prevented a potential discharge of 600 gallons of diesel fuel to the environment.

Crews Resume Recovery Mission for Man Overboard

6/16/24 – Chicago, IL

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

Rescue crews searched for a 58-year-old man who fell overboard in Chicago’s enclosed ‘Playpen’ area.

First responders resumed a recovery operation on 16 June for a man who reportedly fell off a boat in Lake Michigan the previous afternoon and never resurfaced.

Crews could be seen searching the waters near the enclosed boating area known as the "Playpen," close to downtown Chicago. After about an hour of searching for the 58-year-old man on Saturday 15 June, crews called off the search for the night.

Divers returned the following day, but there was no word if anyone had been found when the search was suspended again.

No Injuries Reported After Sailboat Hits Bridge

6/15/24 – Portsmouth, NH

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

Two people were uninjured when their 40-foot sailboat crashed into a New Hampshire bridge.

A 40 ft sailboat hit the Memorial Bridge after losing its rudder in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on the evening of Saturday 15 June, according to U.S. Marine Patrol. Officials reported that two people on the boat were uninjured as a result of the crash.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard were able to remove the boat from the bridge and it was later transported to the local Badgers Island Marina by Tow Boat U.S.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation said that the Memorial Bridge had not suffered any damage. They added that the boat saw some damage to the mast.

Firefighters Extinguish Boat Blaze on Long Island Sound

6/15/24 – Stratford, CT

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

Boaters were rescued by a passing vessel; the blaze was extinguished by Coast Guard and local crews.

Crews put out a boat fire on the morning of 15 June on the Long Island Sound, according to the Fire Department in Stratford, Connecticut.

The department said the vessel caught fire about a quarter of a mile from the seawall near Stratford’s Beach Drive Park. The U.S. Coast Guard and crews from other local fire departments also assisted in dousing the flames.

A passing boater picked up the people on board the vessel on fire before crews arrived. No injuries were reported.

Body of Missing Boater Found in Texas Reservoir

6/9/24 – Shelby Co., TX

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

The body of John Martin Jr., 64, was recovered from East Texas’ Toledo Bend Reservoir.

The body of a missing boater from East Texas was found in the state’s Toledo Bend Reservoir.

According to Shelby County Sheriff Kevin Windham, the body of John Martin Jr., 64, of Joaquin, Texas, was located around 8:30 p.m. on the night of 10 June. Martin had gone out in the Huxley area of the Toledo Bend Reservoir on Sunday 9 June and failed to return.

Two People Rescued After Boat Explodes, Catches Fire, Sinks

6/7/24 – Custer Co., ID

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

A 23-foot cabin cruiser exploded and burst into flames on an Idaho reservoir. Two people were rescued.

Two people were rescued on 7 June after the boat they were on exploded, caught fire, and then sank on Idaho’s Mackay Reservoir.

Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office in Custer County, Idaho, responded to the incident at 8:45 p.m. Two people were on board a 23-foot Cabin Cruiser when the incident occurred. Pictures showed a big plume of black smoke with orange flames on the water.

Boaters Without PFDs Rescued from 52-Degree Water

The two people were unable to access their life jackets due to the fire. They abandoned the boat and jumped into the 52-degree water, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Another boater rescued them and brought them to shore. They were evaluated and treated by Mackay Ambulance. One person was burned but declined medical transport, the sheriff’s office said.

“State Law requires life jackets be readily available, which has been defined to be within arms-reach for anyone not required to be wearing a life jacket,” the sheriff’s office reminded.

The boat was consumed by the fire and sank in 52 feet of water. The cause of the explosion and fire was not immediately released.

Nine Rescued from Sinking Boat on Connecticut Lake

6/15/24 – Danbury, CT

Accidents of the week, Boat Fire, Grounding, USCG, Drowinings, Rescue Efforts

In a nighttime rescue in a Connecticut lake, nine people were retrieved safely from a sinking boat.

Fire officials said no one was injured after nine people were rescued on the night of 15 June from a sinking boat near Sand Island, on Connecticut’s Candlewood Lake.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m., when firefighters from Danbury and Brookfield, Connecticut, launched their marine units to assist the Candlewood Lake Authority.

Brookfield firefighters transported all occupants safely onto their boat, while Danbury firefighters and the Lake Authority breached the boat and retrieved a disabled jet ski.