The Coast Guardrescued two people after being separated from their recreational boat, approximately 10 miles off the coast of Beaufort, N.C., Sunday.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a report over VHF-FM channel 16 from a crewmember aboard the Sand Tiger stating they had missing divers.
While on routine patrol, bridge watchstanders aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous overheard the distress call and immediately launched its Cutter Over the Horizon Boat and within 20 minutes had recovered two of the divers approximately a half mile from their boat.
A good Samaritan aboard the Outrageous V, aided in the search and recovered two more divers.
“This case highlights the value of our medium endurance cutter fleet and persistent off-shore presence,” said Cmdr. Greg Magee , the commanding officer of the Vigorous. “Our specialized small boat is not only well suited for law enforcement, but also for search and rescue.”
Crewmembers aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat and a 25-foot Response Boat – Small from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon in North Carolina, who were already underway, were diverted to the dive incident and escorted the vessel back to the station.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , June 4, 2012