Kydon

A Coast Guard air and surface units combined efforts with local park rangers and the ferry'Kydon' to rescue six migrants following a vessel capsizing off Sardinera Beach in Mona Island, Puerto Rico, on Sep 18, 2023. Rescued were four men and two women, two Dominican Republic and four Cuban nationals, who were aboard a boat, which capsized near Mona Island’s reef line late in the night of Sep 17. Coast Guard watch standers in San Juan, Puerto Rico received a communication from Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Park Rangers at 11:30 p.m. who relayed hearing screams of distress coming from the water and sighting a flare in the area. Coast Guard watch standers diverted the 'Margaret Norvell' and directed the launch of a forward deployed HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Air Station Borinquen and issued an UMIB to alert vessel traffic. They requested assistance from the 'Kydon', that was transiting near Mona Island at the time of the distress. Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew launched an MK-124 flare to illuminate the area and located a person in the water swimming towards Mona Island. The Coast Guard aircrew proceeded to vector-in a rescue boat from the the ferry, who were able to recover the person from the water. Cutter Margaret Norvell arrived on-scene shortly thereafter and embarked the survivor, who informed of additional people in the water. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard aircrew located the five additional migrants safely on Sardinera Beach. They were assisted by responding park rangers on Mona Island. No injuries or medical emergencies were reported in this case. The transfer of the migrants was being coordinated with U.S. Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Puerto Rico.

US Coast Guard rescue crews were searching for possible survivors of a capsized boat in the Mona Passage near Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico. Rescued were four men while six other persons remained missing, after survivors reported there were ten people aboard when their vessel capsized on Nov 30, 2020. The circumstances of the capsizing remain unclear and were being investigated. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a report from the 'Kydon' on Dec 1 at 11:05 p.m. reporting they had a visual of multiple persons in the water, approximately eight nautical miles west of Desecheo Island. The 'Kydon' was transiting from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic at the time of the sighting. Shortly thereafter, watchstanders received a second report from the ferry informing the 'Kydon'’s crew recovered two survivors from the water. Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter 'Joseph Napier (WPC-1115)' that arrived on scene and embarked the two survivors from the 'Kydon'. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter also launched to search and find signs of additional survivors, while Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine units also responded. At 7:54 a.m. on Dec 1, Sector San Juan watchstanders received a communication from a Good Samaritan aboard the recreational vessel 'Kiara' reporting having recovered two additional persons from the water. The cutter 'Joseph Napier' rendezvoused with the 'Kiara' and embarked the two survivors. The survivors reportedly were not wearing life jackets when rescued and they were showing signs of dehydration and sunburn. Coast Guard assets involved in the search were the Coast Guard Cutter 'Joseph Napier (WPC-1115)', Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Borinquen and an HC-130 aircraft from Air Station Clearwater, Floria.

US Coast Guard air and surface crews and the crew of the 'Kydon' combined efforts to rescue two boaters from a sinking catamaran in the night of Dec 6, 2019, approximately 10 nautical miles north of Manati, Puerto Rico. Rescued were a man, French national, and a woman, U.S. citizen aboard the 36-foot catamaran 'Blue Cocktail', as it was traveling from the Dominican Republic to the British Virgin Islands. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received at 7:24 p.m. Friday a mayday radio call from the 'Blue Cocktail', on VHF Channel 16, reporting the vessel was taking on water and rapidly sinking. Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and dispatched a Coast Guard Boat Station San Juan 45-foot Response Boat-Medium to search for the boaters and any signs of the Blue Cocktail. Watchstanders also issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast UMIB to alert marine traffic in the area. The 'Kydon' received the UMIB and diverted to the area of the distress. Shortly after the initial distress call, the woman jumped on the dinghy which started drifting away from the catamaran, while the man stayed onboard attempting to control the flooding. The man was forced to abandon the vessel as it started to sink and became partially submerged. Upon arriving on scene, the crew of the HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft located the man in the water and the woman safely aboard the dinghy. The Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene shortly thereafter and the aircrew vectored-in the Coast Guard response boat to the survivors’ position. The boat of the Station San Juan worked well with on-scene aircraft and with the Captain and crew of the 'Kydon', who gave them a good reference to where to start looking for the submerged vessel. Following the rescue, the survivors were transported to San Juan and transferred to Customs and Border Protection personnel with no medical concerns. Report with photo and video: https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-good-samaritan-rescue-2-from-sinking-catamaran/2019/12/07/