 Acushnet Returns From Successful West Coast Patrol By Lt. j.g. Scott Bobin - USCG April 05, 2002
While underway, the crew conducted 22 at-sea law enforcement boardings of recreational and commercial fishing vessels. Law enforcement teams ensured compliance with fishery regulations as well as citing numerous safety violations. Inspecting everything from visual distress signals to life raft servicing, Acushnet boarding team members ensured compliance with the proper safety practices of the fishing community. With an increase of focus on maritime homeland security, Acushnet crewmembers worked with many other Coast Guard resources to closely monitor all vessels operating in the area. Information from units including: Coast Guard Air Stations Port Angeles, Neah Bay, and Sacramento; Small Boat Stations Neah Bay and Cape Disappointment; Marine Safety Offices Portland and Seattle; and Groups Seattle, Port Angeles, Astoria, and North Bend all contributed to a well constructed picture of vessel activities off the Northwest coast of the U.S. Acushnet crewmembers also boarded two large foreign flagged merchant vessels, inspecting cargo holds and crew manifests.
For more information concerning the Acushnet, or to schedule a tour of the cutter, please call the assistant Public Affairs Officer, Lt. j.g. Scott Bobin at 907-228-0205.
E-mail Lt. j.g. Scott Bobin
Source of news release and digital photos:
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Ketchikan,
Alaska - The Coast Guard cutter Acushnet, a 213-foot medium
endurance cutter, returned home after a 51 day deployment to
the Straights of Juan DeFuca, the San Juan Islands, and the offshore
waters of the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.
The Acushnet crew participated in
three separate search and rescue cases during this deployment.
The first involved a crewmember from the fishing vessel Margaret
E, who collapsed after experiencing chest pains. Acushnet crewmembers
dispatched medical personnel to assist the ailing fisherman and
aide in the safe transfer of the patient to a Coast Guard 47-foot
motor lifeboat, for further transportation to shore side facilities.
The next case took place in Dungeness Bay where a small recreational
vessel overturned, sending two men into the water. The Acushnet
crew worked with several Coast Guard helicopters from Air Station
Port Angeles for two days and successfully located the vessel
and one of the missing men. The final case involved a disabled
fishing vessel, the Pacific Stalker, 40 miles off the Washington
coast. The fishing vessel was in 8-10 foot seas and 30-knot winds.
The Acushnet towed the disabled fishing vessel for 10 hours to
its homeport of Neah Bay, Wash. A rescue and assistance team
from Acushnet repaired broken windows on the fishing vessel's
pilothouse. The fishing vessel crew was transferred to the Acushnet
and treated for mild hypothermia.