Divers rescued after boat sinks - Myrtle Beach SC

[DandyDon]

The news article refers to them as fishermen, but I am advised that one is a "commercial diver, they don't use rod & reels." I am further advised that one is "an active SB member who...hopefully will share with other divers what they did correctly when 45 miles offshore, sleeping in the middle of the night and your boat sinks in 150 deep." The article doesn't name anyone tho, so I'll leave that out and let him post if he wishes.

It's amazes me that anyone would take a boat to sea without a EPIRB or at least a PLB. I won't leave my house without mine.

Coast Guard rescues three fishermen off Myrtle Beach coast

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) - The Coast Guard says good planning by three fishermen helped rescue crews find them 45 miles off the Myrtle Beach coast.

Coast Guard crews rescued three fishermen Friday after their boat sank 45 miles east of Myrtle Beach, according to a press release from the Coast Guard. The fishermen reported their 33-foot boat, Aunt T, was sinking and had to abandon ship into their life raft.

The fishermen were able to alert Coast Guard watchstanders in Charleston through a radio beacon. Soon after, Coast Guard crews were able to communicate with the stranded fishermen around midnight via satellite phone.

A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched and hoisted the fisherman from their life raft at approximately 1:19 a.m., the release states. They were taken to Myrtle Beach International Airport where EMS was waiting.

"The fishermen had a life raft, satellite phone and an EPIRB that directly contributed to us rescuing them so quickly," said Lt. J.B. Zorn, the Sector Charleston public affairs officer. "Their safety equipment took the search out of search and rescue."

The Aunt T was homeported in Jacksonville, Florida. The cause of the boat sinking in under investigation.

 

[Johnoly]

Holy Cow !! Wait til Scuba Board member @100days-a-year posts the story here. Just Wild what happened.

 

[100days-a-year]

It was me and we are truly blessed to be safe,we were hit by a freighter while anchored just inshore and South of Frying Pan Light.
It was about 1130PM Thursday in 100' of water.
Onboard were 2 other divers,we had just finished day 1 of a 3 to 5 day trip.

The vessel hit our bow and we were drug along the freighter when our anchor line fouled on his bow.The Aunt T immediately listed 45 degrees to port.The anchor freed and we slid along his hull after perhaps 20 to 30 seconds of being drug along slowly destroying the Aunt T.The Aunt T did not right herself when the freighter cleared as the bow was crushed and taking on water with 2 bilge pumps pouring steady streams out and high water alarm sounding.

I had instructed the crew to hand me knife as I was on the gunnel with the freighter hull only a couple of feet to my back as I made to cut the anchor line just before it freed.As we were obviously sinking I used the knife to cut the painter line on the liferaft with enough scope to guide it around the hull to the stern port corner where we boarded after gathering what safety and personal items we could and crew donning lifevests.I had the crew activate the onboard EPIRB.

All this took less than 5 minutes.Once safely away and settled in the raft we used my satphone to contact my wife as she was the emergency contact on the EPIRB and told her to relay to the USCG that it was a valid activation and we were in the water.She then relayed the direct number to the involved USCG sector and we remained in contact the entire time.A good samaritan sailboat motored to our position with a hour or so and remained on station until a USCG asset reached us.They had told us a Patrol boat was on the way from Oak Island but a Helo from Charleston reached us first and airlifted us first.

I cannot thank the USCG enough for their professionalism and the speed at which they operated.Even with all the safety gear it was the USCG that gave us the feeling of being secure after a harrowing and traumatic collision.My wife was also impressed by how they kept her abreast of our condition.All 3 divers are home and well,with one serious injury from the impact,a sprained or twisted knee on one crewman.

We all will return to the sea at some point in some capacity.
Tony Hancock

 

[KathyV]

Thank goodness that you were prepared and reacted correctly! What about the freighter, did it just keep going, did it even know that it had hit you? Can you identify it and will their insurance replace your boat and equipment and cover the medical costs for the injured crewman? Glad you made it back safely!

 

[DandyDon]

It was me and we are truly blessed to be safe,we were hit by a freighter while anchored just inshore and South of Frying Pan Light.
It was about 1130PM Thursday in 100' of water.

Wow, how frightening! So glad you all survived, and thanks for telling the story.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @100days-a-year/Tony

Glad to hear that you and the others are OK. Sounds like you were extremely well prepared

Very best, Craig

 

[Rred]

I'd be interested to hear the details.
"just inshore and South of Frying Pan Light." Many ships use the lights as GPS routing marks, entering a point just off the light so as not to hit it. (As a number have and still do, not specifically that light.) Were you running AIS?
Was the boat showing a proper anchor light and keeping a deck watch? Apparently the freighter wasn't keeping a deck or radar watch, but that's sadly normal, a lot of commercial traffic has a "So what?" attitude about that.
Sometimes I wonder if the only commercial traffic keeping a good watch at all times are the drug smugglers. At least THEY are trying to see and avoid EVERYTHING. Ironic that they might have the highest standards for watch keeping.

 

[Johnoly]

........after gathering what safety and personal items we could and crew donning lifevests.I had the crew activate the onboard EPIRB....

We dive commercial like you guys and each of us carry's an underwater VHF with GPS. We've had bad stuff happen but never being RAMMED BY A SHIP !!
So sorry for the Aunt T, and I trust the CG will issue a report that David Concannon would love to take.

ALOT of ScubaBoard readers sleep on boats for vacations. Can you share what personal items that sank that you wished you had in a ditch-bag {ie bedside drybag} to grab and go?

P.S. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing with the SB forum,,, alot of great tips !!

 

[Johnoly]

dbl post, deleted

 

[Johnoly]

.... Was the boat showing a proper anchor light and keeping a deck watch? ....

Thousands of boats anchor on the water every night.............
Name one single reason it's acceptable for one boat to RAM another boat (and it's a dive boat too) and sink it ?? ?