Photo Release: Coast Guard, U.S. Army rescues 2 people from submerged vessel in Chesapeake Bay

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/11/2019 04:48 PM EDT

united states coast guard 

Photo Release  

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

Coast Guard, U.S. Army rescues 2 people from submerged vessel in Chesapeake Bay

A U.S. Coast Guard crewmember from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles, Virginia, observes a submerged vessel in the Chesapeake Bay, June 10, 2019. Soldiers aboard an Army vessel initially found the two survivors in the water after their vessel capsized from foul weather four hours earlier. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan Wyco) A submerged vessel rests in the water 6.5 miles west of Fisherman Island, Virginia, after being swamped by weather, June 10, 2019. The two people that were aboard the vessel when it capsized were rescued four hours later by soldiers aboard an Army vessel, who then transferred the survivors to Coast Guard crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles, Virginia. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan Wyco)

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

Portsmouth, Va. — The Coast Guard and the Army rescued two people from the water 6.5 miles west of Fisherman Island, Virginia, Monday night.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads initially received the report from soldiers aboard the U.S. Army vessel New Orleans, who had just pulled two people from the water after their 16-foot vessel sank after being swamped by weather four hours earlier.

Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders launched a 45-foot Response Boat Medium from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles to respond.

Once on-scene, the Coast Guard crew transferred the two survivors to the response boat and transported them back to Coast Guard Station Cape Charles.

“These people’s vessel sank so fast that they were unable to use their communication devices to call for help,” said Lt. Cdr. Trisha Jantzen, Sector Hampton Roads command center chief. “Thankfully, they were smart enough to already have their life jackets on, which is the number one way to increase your chances of survival in the water. Without the life jackets, these survivors may not have been able to stay afloat for the four hours they were in the water before they were rescued.”

 

-USCG-