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Coast Guard HC-144 and the cruise ship Carnival Valor rescue 3 boaters 386 nm offshore Alabama

Coast Guard HC-144 and the cruise ship Carnival Valor rescue 3 boaters 386 nm offshore Alabama
Coast Guard HC-144 and the cruise ship Carnival Valor rescue 3 boaters 386 nm offshore Alabama.
Archive image: Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry and USCGC Bertholf.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Thomas Sperduto.

NEW ORLEANS — A Coast Guard HC-144 aircrew and the cruise ship Carnival Valor rescue three boaters aboard a vessel taking on water 386 nautical miles offshore Alabama, Sunday.

Coast Guard 8th District watchstanders received an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alert at 7:22 a.m. from the 44-foot recreational vessel Snail Mail. Watchstanders contacted the owner of the Snail Mail who stated they were shoreside, but in contact with the three boaters aboard the Snail Mail via a SPOT GPS device and confirmed the Snail Mail was taking on water. 

Using the automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue system (AMVER) to survey the area around the Snail Mail for nearby commercial vessels, watchstanders identified and directed the cruise ship Carnival Valor to assist the distressed vessel. Meanwhile, watchstanders also coordinated the launch of an Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew to assist. 

The HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew located the Snail Mail and vectored the Carnival Valor to its location. The cruise ship arrived on scene, launched their rescue boat, rescued all three boaters, and transferred them back to the ship to be medically evaluated by the ship’s doctor. 

A Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew flies over a vessel taking on water while the Carnival Valor arrives on scene to rescue the three boaters aboard it 386 nautical miles offshore Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico on March 26, 2023.
The vessel taking on water, Snail Mail, had three boaters aboard that were transferred to the Carnival Valor’s ship doctor. All three boaters were last reported to be in stable condition.
U.S. Coast Guard video.
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Mobile.
U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center.
U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area.
U.S. Coast Guard Heartland.
Department of Homeland Security.

All three boaters were last reported to be in stable condition. 

«Special thanks to the crew of the Carnival Valor for rescuing all three people aboard the sinking vessel,» said Lt. j.g. Gretchen Gochnour, a command duty officer at the District 8th Command Center. «The Coast Guard urges the boating public to emulate the Snail Mail by having an EPIRB and geolocating devices onboard before taking to the sea. Moreover, the Coast Guard encourages commercial mariners to participate in AMVER and self-report their location as this played a pivotal role in this rescue.»

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