KAILUA-KONA — A U.S. citizen and two Indonesian nationals were safe Friday after abandoning ship 161 miles southwest of Kona.
KAILUA-KONA — A U.S. citizen and two Indonesian nationals were safe Friday after abandoning ship 161 miles southwest of Kona.
“It was really a great joint rescue,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle about the multiple agency rescue that found the men in healthy condition floating in a life raft in the wee hours of the morning.
Capt. Jonathan Hoag, 46, of Rye, N.H., and crew members Zaenal, 29, and Syamsul, 29, both from Indonesia and whose last names were not available, were aboard the 41-foot Vicious Cycle when the fishing vessel began taking on water south of the Big Island.
Fast action and communication would find the distressed men about seven hours after their first distress call.
“Huge thanks to the Coast Guard and the Navy for our rescue,” Hoag said in a statement issued by the Coast Guard. “Everything was incredibly well organized and we are here now to prove it.”
Watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu became aware of the situation after receiving an emergency positioning indicating radio beacon alert at 7:53 p.m. Thursday, notifying them of the distress situation.
The alert also included information about the vessel’s last known location, and after receiving it the Coast Guard contacted the vessel’s registered owner, who relayed that he was having trouble reaching the fishermen. However, he was able to tell Coast Guard personnel that they were fishing southwest of the island.
“This was actually a fantastic rescue because they had an EPIRB that was actually registered and it allowed us to locate the vessel quickly,” Molle said.
Watchstanders contacted the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, and the vessel was diverted from its course back to Alaska to assist. An HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point on Oahu was launched to the scene. The fishing vessel Princess K. also was diverted.
The aircrew located the fishermen in a life raft after they spotted one of its crew members using a dim flashing light and flares to signal them. An attempt to deploy a radio to establish contact with the men was unsuccessful because of poor visibility and weather, with winds at about 30 mph and seas up to 10 feet. The Hercules crew returned to Oahu to refuel and then headed back to the scene.
Meanwhile, an MH-60R helicopter crew from Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, was able to reach the scene after the aircrew pinpointed the fishermen’s location. The HC-130 and Navy helicopter arrived on scene at about the same time, Molle said.
As the HC-130 was above, the helicopter successfully hoisted the three men at 2:47 a.m. Friday. The Navy helicopter then made the approximately 90-minute flight back to Oahu, where the men were treated for mild hypothermia and then transported to The Queen’s Medical Center.
Molle did not have any additional information as to why the Vicious Cycle began taking on water. The vessel sunk about 161 miles southwest of Kona.
Molle attributed the successful rescue to the joint effort between the Coast Guard and Navy, as well as the vessel having an EPIRB alert system that immediately notified personnel and provided critical information. She urged mariners to ensure that EPIRB data is always up to date.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.