Coast Guard MH-65E crew rescue 3 sailors from near Kiawah Island

CHARLESTON, S.C.— A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65E Dolphin aircrew rescue three sailors after their 39-foot motor vessel capsized near Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Friday, May 26, 2023.

The Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65E Dolphin aircrew hoisted the three people and transferred them to a Kiawah Island Beach Patrol with no medical concerns.

A crewmember aboard the vessel notified Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders at 10 a.m., Friday, via cellphone, that their boat was taking on water. 

Sector Charleston watchstanders issued a urgent marine information broadcast to all mariners in the area for assistance and launched a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65E Dolphin Short-Range Recovery Helicopter aircrew to assist.

«Although the crew of this motor vessel was having a bad day, their promptness in putting on their safety gear gave us a chance to get to them in time,» said Lt. Cmdr Sam Ingham, Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin mission commander. «When I saw that they all had life jackets on, I felt immediate relief, and it gave us more flexibility to pick them up safely and quickly.»

Sector Charleston watchstanders issued a safety marine information broadcast on VHF-FM Channel 16 to notify mariners of the sunken vessel. 

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–USCG–

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