Photo Release: Shipwreck survivor meets with Coast Guard rescuers in Portsmouth, VA

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 08/16/2017 02:15 PM EDT

united states coast guard 

Photo Release  

August 16, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
Contact: 5th District Public Affairs
Office: (757) 398-6272
After Hours: (757) 434-7712

Photo Release: Shipwreck survivor meets with Coast Guard rescuers in Portsmouth, VA

From left to right: Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class John Fuller, Petty Officer 2nd Class Brittany Wygand, Petty Officer 1st Class Andrea Cobb, shipwreck survivor Jacob Van Ommen, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Luker, Lt. j.g. Bradley Milliken and Capt. Kevin Carroll pose for a group photo during an event on Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Virginia, Aug. 16, 2017. Van Ommen met with the Coast Guard personnel who helped rescue him when his sailboat ran aground and sank near Myrtle Island, Virginia, June 23, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton/Released)

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A shipwreck survivor met with his Coast Guard rescuers during an event on Coast Guard Base Portsmouth Wednesday.

Jacob Van Ommen met with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer and watchstanders who helped rescue him from his sinking sailboat and shared his story with media members.

Van Ommen’s 30-foot sailboat Fleetwood ran aground and began taking on water at around 4 a.m. near Myrtle Island in the Chesapeake Bay, June 23, 2017. The 80-year-old issued a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16, triggered an SOS alert via personal GPS device and launched a life raft from his sinking vessel.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, responded and deployed a rescue swimmer to hoist Van Ommen from the life raft as the sailboat sank.

“I am very grateful for the excellent and professional response of the U.S. Coast Guard,” Van Ommen said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class John Fuller, rescue swimmer from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, interacts with shipwreck survivor Jacob Van Ommen during an event on Base Portsmouth, Virginia, Aug. 16, 2017. On June 23, Fuller deployed from an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to rescue the 80-year-old sailor when his vessel ran aground and began taking on water in the Chesapeake Bay. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton/Released)
Shipwreck survivor Jacob Van Ommen speaks to local media members and Coast Guard personnel during an event on Base Portsmouth, Virginia, Aug. 16, 2017. The 80-year-old sailor described the sinking of his 30-foot vessel on June 23 and the professionalism of the Coast Guard helicopter crew who rescued him. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton/Released)
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brittany Wygand, operations specialist with the Sector Hampton Roads Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, speaks with local media members during an event on Base Portsmouth, Aug. 16, 2017. Wygand received the mayday call from 80-year-old sailor Jacob Van Ommen when his vessel ran aground and began taking on water in the Chesapeake Bay, June 23, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton/Released)
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class John Fuller, rescue swimmer from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, looks on as shipwreck survivor Jacob Van Ommen speaks to the media during an event on Base Portsmouth, Virginia, Aug. 16, 2017. Fuller was a member of the helicopter crew who rescued Van Ommen as his sailboat sank in the Chesapeake Bay, June 23, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Trey Clifton/Released)

 

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