Fishermen stuck 50 miles off GA coast after boat sinks, officials say. See the rescue

Makiya Seminera
·2 min read

Two men were stranded at sea after their fishing boat sank nearly 50 miles off Georgia’s coast, officials say.

A signal was sent to Charleston Coast Guard from the boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon designating an issue near Savannah, according to a Sept. 28 U.S. Coast Guard news release. The 34-foot fishing vessel in distress — Lady Diane — had sunk, officials say.

The 34-foot vessel Lady Diane sunk off Georgia’s coast, officials say. Photo from U.S. Coast Guard District 7 PADET Jacksonville.
The 34-foot vessel Lady Diane sunk off Georgia’s coast, officials say. Photo from U.S. Coast Guard District 7 PADET Jacksonville.

Coast Guard officials contacted the boat’s owner, who reported that “the vessel was offshore fishing with approximately two people aboard,” the release says. The Charleston Coast Guard then attempted to contact the boat, which had no response.

A Savannah Coast Guard Air Station helicopter was deployed to locate the missing men, officials say.

“The responding aircrew arrived on scene, commenced searching and located two people in a life raft after they launched a flare to alert the aircrew of their position,” the release says.

The Coast Guard found the two men after they released a flare, officials say. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Dickinson
The Coast Guard found the two men after they released a flare, officials say. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Dickinson

The two men were pulled aboard the helicopter and transported to Hunter Army Airfield to be checked out by “emergency medical services personnel,” officials say. No health issues were reported.

The process of locating the men drifting at sea happened “within minutes,” the case’s aircraft commander Sarah Anderson said in the release, thanks to the men’s use of their “lifesaving equipment.”

The rescue was largely attributed to the men’s use of their emergency position indicating radio beacon, the release says. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard District 7 PADET Jacksonville
The rescue was largely attributed to the men’s use of their emergency position indicating radio beacon, the release says. Photo by U.S. Coast Guard District 7 PADET Jacksonville

It is highly recommended anyone planning to go offshore to carry an emergency position indicating radio beacon and a personal locator beacon in addition to other precautions, Coast Guard boating safety specialist Scott Szczepaniak said in the release. Cell service can be iffy when out on the water, Szczepaniak said, and it shouldn’t be relied on for communication.

The vessel incident remains under investigation, the release says.

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