On Monday morning, a merchant tanker successfully rescued three individuals from a distressed sailboat approximately 450 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida. The operation began on Sunday at 1520 hours when the Coast Guard Southeast District received an EPIRB alert from an unnamed yacht northeast of the Bahamas. In response, an HC-130 search and rescue aircraft was dispatched to locate the vessel.
The aircrew spotted the yacht around 2030 hours, but conditions were severe, with 20-foot waves and the boat adrift with damaged sails. The crew was in urgent need of evacuation due to the vessel taking on water. The HC-130 crew issued a radio call for assistance from nearby vessels. The tanker Radiant Pride responded and altered its course, reaching the scene around 0220 hours on Monday morning. Despite the challenging conditions, the crew managed to rescue all three individuals from the yacht.
Lt. j.g. Jordan Shaw, the HC-130 pilot, praised the efforts of everyone involved, highlighting the bravery and professionalism demonstrated during the rescue. The Radiant Pride, a 74,000 dwt tanker owned in Greece, was on a transatlantic journey from Brownsville, Texas, to Tarragona, Spain, and redirected towards Bermuda for a personnel transfer after the rescue. Mutual aid at sea is a longstanding principle, often leading commercial vessels to assist yachts and small crafts in distress, especially in remote locations.
