Norfolk carrier aids vessel in distress
USS George H.W. Bush helps 4 on standed sailboat
Published : Friday, 03 Dec 2010, 1:21 PM EST
The Shangri-La and its four crew members were approximately 90 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C.
The Norfolk-based aircraft carrier, currently conducting carrier qualifications in preparation for a 2011 deployment, was approximately 30 miles away from the sailboat Shangri-La when the distress call was received at 4:00 a.m.
According to the Navy, the stranded sailboat, also homeported in Norfolk, ran out of fuel trying to return to Norfolk in high winds and lost its sail. The George H.W. Bush assisted the ship by sending fuel over in one of its rigid hulled inflatable boats.
"We were fortunate to be at the right place at the right time," said Capt. Chip Miller, commanding officer. "Assisting fellow mariners on the seas is one of the many missions Navy ships are always prepared to execute. Every time we go to sea or conduct an exercise, we train for the unexpected, and today we had the opportunity to do just that."
The Shangri-La, a 65-foot catamaran, left Norfolk on Monday to sail to the British Virgin Islands. The Navy said the sailboat's crew now plan to return home.
(Compiled from report by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian M. Brooks, USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs)
3 comments:
Nice comments from the 4 we rescued:
"Greg & Carol Robinson, Billy Coleman and Steven Hanley, the crew on the catamaran Shangri-La would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Capt Miller and all his crew for their help and assistance in our time of need. We would also like to send a special thanks to the crew that braved the miserable seas to bring over the fuel to us, not once, but twice. The great caps and choc chip cookies were also greatly appreciated, we will never eat another one without thinking of you. We made our rendezvous with the Coast Guard Cutter "Block Island" at around 8pm on Friday night where they took us under tow in even more miserable weather with winds of around 30knots and 8-10' seas. 17 and 1/2 hours later they bought us into North Carolina where Shangri-la is now tied up safe and sound in Beaufort and the Caribbean crew will be flying home. Once again a VERY BIG THANK YOU to all of you and all the USCG crew and personal that played a role in getting us back safely."
Nice work mate! Good to see the Navy helping out stranded yachties! All part of the service & all in a days work, but nice to be appreciated for the job you do. Did it give your SAR team a workout? Cheers buddy, Deggz
Deggz,
Law of the Sea - There's really no hesitation: if there is a mariner in distress we’ll respond or ensure the Coast Guard is on the job (respect to those guys!). That incident in the Drake Passage when the clogged fuel filters took out our engines left me feeling a bit vulnerable – wouldn’t want to go through that again. In this situation although I should have been overseeing things in CDC I was back on the fantail helping with the fuel cans (A few people were surprised to see me back there!). It all ended well and these are getting routine for my watch standers – all part of the job.
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