Tue, Mar 03, 2009
One Rescued Monday, Three Others Remain Unaccounted For
The US Coast Guard Monday rescued a boater whose vessel capsized
in the Gulf of Mexico, and continues a high-profile search and
rescue mission for three others who were onboard.
Rescuers found former University of South Florida football
player Nick Schuyler about 35 miles off the coast of Florida,
clinging to the hull of a 21-foot fishing boat that reportedly
overturned during a storm Saturday. The Coast Guard continues to
search for three others: Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper,
Detroit Lions free agent Corey Smith and former University of South
Florida player William Bleakley.
Schuyler was flown via Coast Guard helicopter to Tampa General
Hospital. Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson told CNN that
Schuyler said he had been wearing a life vest at the time of the
capsizing; it's unclear whether the other three were wearing
preservers.
Coast Guard aircraft from Clearwater, FL; Miami; and Mobile, AL;
and helicopters and a C-130 Hercules from the Air Force provided an
aerial search, Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close said at a news
conference Monday in St. Petersburg, FL.
Several Coast Guard ships covered the 16,000-square-mile area
from the sea. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has narrowed its area of
focus as it continues to search for the three other men. Four Coast
Guard cutters and two Air Force helicopters are searching a 30-mile
radius around where the boat was found.
"The search is ongoing," Close said. "We're continuing to hit
this hard."
The four reportedly left Clearwater Beach on a fishing trip the
morning of February 28 and were expected to return that afternoon,
ahead of a forecasted shift in what had been clear and calm weather
conditions. A cold front struck that evening, causing strong winds
and seas that reached an estimated 14 feet.
(Aero-News thanks John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press
Service)
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