US Coast Guard aircrew, the crew of the Crowley container ship El Coquí and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza rescued four men from a life raft in Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank
US Coast Guard aircrew, the crew of the Crowley container ship El Coquí and fishermen from the fishing vessel Bonanza rescued four men from a life raft in Atlantic Ocean’s Silver Bank waters north of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.
The men were forced to abandon the sailing vessel Mariposa after the vessel reportedly struck a submerged rock and was then overtaken by a wave which caused the vessel to roll on its port side. The vessel struck another rock which breached the vessel’s hull and started taking on water while additional waves flooded the vessel before sinking.
They were on a voyage from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to Portofino, Texas, with an anticipated stop in Key West, Florida.
Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders received an unregistered 406 Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon signal on Tuesday morning alerting of a possible distress approximately 180 miles northwest of Puerto Rico.
Once rescued, the Bonanza transported the survivors to the El Coquí for further transport to Jacksonville where the ship is expected to arrive on Thursday.
During initial search efforts, watchstanders used the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system which provided vessel profile information and
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