Articles Posted in Vessel Capsizings

Five men were pulled from the water by Mark Forester aboard his boat BLUCIFER on Friday, June 10. The five men had been clinging to their boat for approximately 22-hours southwest of Cape Lookout off North Carolina shores.

Rescued were Chul Lee, Byung Park, Ung Chong, Ku Changu, and Ung Sik James, all of Fayetteville, NC. The five men departed for a day of fishing on the morning of Thursday the 9th, and were reportedly anchored about 14 miles off New River Inlet when the boat was capsized by a large wave, throwing all passengers into the water. The men drifted with their boat for approximately 31 miles before Forester located them.

Officials said only one passenger was wearing a life jacket, and that their decision to stay with the boat undoubtedly saved their lives.

A Coast Guard helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station Houston were on patrol when they spotted an overturned 18-foot boat in Galveston Bay on Sunday, June 19. The helicopter conducted a search of the area and spotted one person in the water. The crew hoisted Robert Rasmussen of Houston into the helicopter, who notified the Coast Guard that his father was still in the water.

The helicopter crew located a good Samaritan who had arrived on the scene and picked up the father, 59-year-old Richard Rasmussen of San Leon. Both father and son were transported to Air Station Houston for evaluation. Officials said both recovered men had their life jackets on when they were rescued. Having been in the water for over two hours, their life jackets undoubtedly saved their lives.

Around 2:30 a.m. on June 14, the Coast Guard vessel KNIGHT ISLAND noticed a boat drifting without its navigational lights on, about twelve miles off Riviera Beach in Florida. According to Petty Officer Nick Ameen, the boat then accelerated and attempted to elude the authorities, before stopping about 12 miles off shore.
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A vessel with two men aboard capsized Saturday at the mouth of Willapa Harbor. The body of one man has been recovered, and the other man remains missing. The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the missing man. Few facts are currently known about the accident. After the vessel capsized, one of the men was able to send a 911 call via a cell phone reporting the accident. He reported that both of them were in the water and not wearing life jackets. Search of the area turned up a debris field, but the missing man was not located.