Four people have the Coast Guard to thank for their lives today after being rescued off Southwest Pass from a sinking boat Wednesday.
The Coast Guard responded to a call from them 17-miles south of Southwest Pass in open water off Venice, Louisiana just before 9:30am.
“The fact that they were able to call in on channel 16 using their radio and reported the situation and how many people were aboard greatly assisted the crews in the search,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Plummer, search and rescue mission coordinator, Sector New Orleans. “The crews knew what they were looking for and the general area the call came from which resulted in the family’s safe return. We strongly recommended that if you are planning on going out on the water you have the proper safety equipment in the event an accident happens.”
A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew were diverted from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama, along with a 45-foot Response Boat dispatched from Coast Guard Station Venice all took part in the rescue.
The airplane crew located the four people holding onto the side of the overturned vessel and vectored in the boat crew and helicopter aircrew. Once on scene, the helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer until the station boat crew arrived on scene and rescued all four people.
