Four Sailors Rescued from Life Raft in the Atlantic

A group effort involving the US Coast Guard aircrew, the crew of the Crowley container ship El Coquí, and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza led to the successful rescue of four men from a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank waters, located north of the Dominican Republic. The men had been forced to abandon their sailing vessel, Mariposa, after it struck a submerged rock and subsequently capsized due to a large wave. The vessel sustained further damage, leading to it sinking as additional waves flooded it. The men were on a voyage from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to Portofino, Texas, with a planned stop in Key West, Florida.

The Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center received an unregistered distress signal from an Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon on Tuesday morning, indicating a possible emergency situation approximately 180 miles northwest of Puerto Rico. Following the rescue, the survivors were transferred from the fishing vessel Bonanza to the container ship El Coquí, which will transport them to Jacksonville. The vessel is expected to arrive in Jacksonville on Thursday.

During the initial search efforts, the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system was utilized by watchstanders to gather vessel profile information and emergency contacts for the Mariposa. This information, made available through the vessel’s registered 406 MHz Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), greatly assisted in the planning and execution of the search and rescue operation.

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