On Labor Day 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology received word that oil, as well as strong petroleum odors, had appeared in the Ballard Mill Marina on Salmon Bay. The Coast Guard and Department of Ecology have established a unified command to oversee the plan and…
A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued a man and woman whose 12-foot skiff had run aground on a mud flat near Willapa Bay, Washington. The command center received a call for help late September 6th, after the vessel had become stuck. The two individuals made a second call for…
Partially in response to Washington State’s tourism office being eliminated by budget cuts in 2011, two South Sound Congressmen have proposed a federal designation of Puget Sound as a heritage area. The 13 mile stretch of coast would not be subject to the same regulations as a wilderness or wetland,…
Earlier this year, the Washington State Department of Ecology approved of the Washington State Maritime Cooperative’s oil spill contingency plan, applying it to all vessels in Puget Sound and non-tank vessels in Grey’s Harbor. The WSMC website allows vessel owners to quickly enroll in the plan, laying out the regulations…
Near Cape Flattery, Washington, on Tuesday the 19th of August, a Coast Guard Motor Life Boat located and rescued a diver who had been reported missing. The diver had been separated from his friend after he didn’t resurface after the agreed upon amount of dive time. The thick fog that…
Wednesday, August 13, 2014, a Washington resident died while diving off the dredge ARGO off the coast of Alaska near Nome. The diver was identified as Sean Beals, a resident of Seattle. Around 10:30 p.m., the diver was observed floating facedown in the water. The dive tender who spotted the…
A woman who was hiking along the Ecola State Park cliffs near Seaside, Oregon, became trapped by the tide coming in sooner than expected on Sunday, July 6th. The Columbia River Coast Guard Sector received the report from local authorities. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched to the scene from…
A boat capsized near the Yaquina Bay Coast Guard Station on July 3, 2014, putting three people in the water. The boat capsized after running into the wake of another vessel, and was seen by Lt. Robert Ornelas, commanding officer of the Yaquina Bay Station. Both a small response boat…
The Coast Guard rescued two people after their vessel caught fire on the Fourth of July. The 70-foot pleasure boat was near Destruction Island, Washington, when the engine caught fire, prompting the two to put out a distress call on VHF-FM radio channel 16. Both a Motor Life Boat crew…
June 12, PACIFIC QUEEN grounded while moored at Harris Harbor in Juneau. Her hull sustained some minor damage, but the main concern was for the approximately 150 gallons of diesel fuel on board. A small sheen was noted, although the vessel was stabilized by the owner before it got worse.…