Three Good Samaritan cases

Captains,

This was a good week for Atlantic Area good samaritans. These three cases saved a total of 14.

RADM W

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

French containership rescues 4 yachtsmen

The French containership CMA CGM La Scala, which enrolled in the Amver system just this past October, rescued 4 French yachtsmen over 1,000 miles east southeast of Bermuda on Thursday December 2nd.

The CMA CGM La Scala, on a voyage towards the Suez Canal, was contacted by the Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Virginia and requested to divert. When the 1,000 foot container ship arrived on scene the Captain of La Scala reported he could not find anyone in the water. Rescue authorities directed the Captain and crew to search the waters for the four survivors wearing life jackets. The La Scala crew quickly found the survivors and hoisted them to safety.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Rescue of Six Cubans in a Sinking Raft

According to a statement from Royal Caribbean, the raft was spotted at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday, as Monarch of the Seas was sailing from Royal Caribbean's private island of CocoCay, Bahamas, back to its Port Canaveral homeport. The five men and one woman were brought aboard Monarch, where they were given food, water and medical treatment.

Per Royal Caribbean's policy, the U.S. Coast Guard was immediately notified, and at 6 a.m. Monday, the six Cubans disembarked Monarch of the Seas onto a Coast Guard vessel. According to Coast Guard Petty Officer Barry Vena, the migrants remain in custody. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will determine their fate. Sabrina Elgammal, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, told Florida Today that "If it's determined that they are migrants, then they will undergo repatriation to the country they hailed from. It is an ongoing investigation."

Four northshore residents rescued after plane goes down in Gulf

Updated: Sunday, December 05, 2010, 6:43 AM

After a small plane went down Saturday in the Gulf of Mexico 170 miles south of New Orleans, the crew of an offshore drilling unit rescued the four southeast Louisiana residents aboard, Coast Guard officials said.

The Coast Guard received a report at about 2:20 p.m. that a Malibu P46 aircraft had been forced to land in the Gulf of Mexico. A helicopter, a boat and an aircraft were all deployed to the scene, according to a Coast Guard press release.

But it was the crew of the West Sirius, an offshore drilling unit in the vicinity, that was able to recover all four people alive from a life raft and take them back to the drilling rig until the Coast Guard helicopter arrived and took the four to West Jefferson Medical Center for further evaluation.