Coast Guard suspends search for possible boater in distress
BRUCE ASATO / 2017
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry off Honolulu in 2017. Another Coast Guard ship, the Cutter Joseph Gerzcak, assisted with a search for a possible vessel in distress on Saturday.
The Coast Guard suspended a search for a vessel in distress last night after receiving a mayday call Saturday.
A male voice was heard in a three-second call at about 12:30 p.m. to the Sector Honolulu command center, the Coast Guard said. A Rescue 21 system was able to track the location of the call to about four miles northwest of Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole.
In the call, the male said, “335 Marlin. Mayday, mayday. Orca.”
Nothing else was heard and the caller did not respond to calls by the Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and the Cutter Joseph Gerzcak searched for the mariner along with the Hawaii County Fire Department’s helicopter, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft and a Royal Australian Navy replenishment oiler called the HMAS Success.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West said after searching for about eight hours and without receiving any reports of parties in distress or overdue swimmers or boaters, the search was suspended, pending further developments.
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Anyone with information about the mayday call is asked to call the Coast Guard at 842-2600.
