The shipwreck that changed the Coast Guard forever

Story and artwork by Petty Officer 2nd Class Corinne Zilnicki

When the clock tolled 12 a.m. on Feb. 12, 1983, the 605-foot cargo ship Marine Electric trekked northward 30 miles off Virginia's Eastern Shore, plowing slowly through the gale-force winds and waves stirred up by a winter storm.

An able-bodied seaman relieved the watch and peered forward, noticing for the first time that the ship's bow seemed to be riding unusually low in the water. Dense curls of green ocean rushed over the bow, some of them arching 10 feet over the deck before crashing back down. The crew had been battling 25-foot waves for hours, but until now, the bow had bucked and dipped as normal.

Now it seemed only to dip.

Over the next two hours, the waves intruded with increasing vigor. The entire foredeck was swallowed in 6 feet of water. The main deck was completely awash.

At 2:30 a.m., the ship's master, Phillip Corl, summoned his chief mate, Robert Cusick, to the bridge and shared his fears: the bow was settling, they were taking on too much water, and the crew was in real trouble.

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Coast Guard rescues 3 off Torrey Pines from capsized catamaran

The Coast Guard rescued two adults and a child whose boat capsized off the coast of San Diego, Sunday. At approximately 2:30 p.m., a person aboard the 30-foot sailing vessel, Divided Soul, called mayday on VHF-FM marine band channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, that was picked up by watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center. The Divided Soul's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was triggered and provided search-and-rescue coordinators with the exact location of the vessel 10 miles west of Torrey Pines.

Watchstanders dispatched a Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, a Station San Diego 45-foot Response Boat Medium crew and the Fast Response Cutter Robert Ward to assist.

A Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey helicopter crew from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was operating in the area and was able to locate the overturned boat. The Osprey crew stayed on scene until the crew of the Robert Ward arrived.

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Be ready for boating in the spring by preparing for the winter

December is upon us and winter cold is in full effect throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Many boaters are off the water during the cold months, but safe boating in the spring and summer starts with proper winterization and preparation.

Every year when the boating season opens up, the Coast Guard conducts numerous rescues due to preventable incidents which could have been avoided if the proper steps were taken for winterization and proper inspections were done prior to departing for the first time of the season.

Waiting too long may be a costly mistake. Expanding water can crack an engine block, damage fiberglass, split hoses or destroy refrigeration systems. Since most mariners go out less in the winter, or remove their boat from the water, it is a great time to perform annual maintenance. In addition to saving money, these preventative measures could save your life. 

Through November of 2018, Coast Guard crews in the 5th District responded to 14 search and rescue cases due to dead batteries. There were 119 reported engine failures of different sorts and more than 200 cases were due to operator error.

Doing some preventative maintenance and taking a boating safety course could have prevented many of these potentially life threatening situations. The ocean can be very unforgiving and a disabled boat in the wrong conditions without the right safety gear can be fatal. Ensuring your boat is properly maintained will reduce the chance that you and your loved ones will need to be rescued.

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