A father and his adult son are safe and sound for Father’s Day after a life-or-death experience on the water that prompted a major Coast Guard response.
Robert Hudson, 60, and his son Jeffrey Hudson, 30, were out on the 57-foot sportfisher Turn Me Loose Thursday morning when they hailed the Coast Guard to report their vessel was taking on water and had begun sinking. They relayed that they were abandoning ship and moving into their life raft.
The Coast Guard responded with a Station Little Creek 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew, an Air Station Elizabeth City Jayhawk helicopter crew, and the Cutter Pompano. Thanks to the Urgent Marine Information Broadcast the Coast Guard issued, Virginia Beach Fire Boat 12 responded, and so did Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun.
Because the Hudsons activated their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), the Coast Guard could pinpoint their location despite them being well offshore. The rescue helicopter and the Calhoun both arrived around 10 a.m. Thursday to find the two men in their life raft.
The Calhoun crew recovered both men and did a medical evaluation on board to determine neither one was injured. The men were brought to Station Little Creek, then transported to Lynnhaven boat ramp where their family was waiting.
The boaters were well-prepared, not just by having a life raft but understanding how to deploy it. Their use of a properly registered EPIRB also allowed the Coast Guard’s deployed resources to find them quickly. Coast Guard leaders also praise the coordinated efforts between different Coast Guard crews and the Virginia Beach fire boat.
“This successful rescue highlights the importance of preparedness and the effectiveness of coordinated efforts between multiple agencies and assets,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Butierries, Sector Virginia command duty officer. “The quick response and the mariners’ preparedness significantly contributed to the rescue.”
As of Friday, the 57-foot boat was still sitting partially submerged, about 30 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The Coast Guard issued a notice warning other vessels about the submerged hazard.
