Carney To The Rescue

The ship located the drifting fishing vessel Anna Lee with the help of the Hadra, a merchant vessel transiting in the area. After arriving on scene, the ship's commanding officer, Cmdr. Patrick Shea, directed the ship's rescue and assistance team to provide assistance to the stranded sailors.

"The crew responded as you would expect professional Sailors to," said Shea. "As soon as we learned there were people who needed help, our team was ready with a plan."

Rescued during the event were two sailors from Trinidad. The rescue and assistance team delivered food, water and medical supplies to the vessel and discovered that the Anna Lee had been adrift for three days with adequate food but only four liters of water remaining. The vessel's engines were out of commission and irreparable. Hospital Corpsman Jacob Sturgill was responsible for organizing the medical provisions. "When a vessel has been drifting for more than a few hours with a limited supply of food and water, our primary concern is dehydration of the crew. The hot climate of the Caribbean and an increased likelihood of seasickness due to the vessel's inability to maneuver can be a deadly combination."

USS Carney will tow Anna Lee to St. Kitts at which time she will receive assistance from local maritime authorities.

Carney is operating in eastern Caribbean Sea in the early spring of 2007. Its deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility supports commitments to engage with regional partners to support hemispheric stability, security and regional prosperity. During its deployment, Carney is under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern, the Navy component command for U.S. Southern Command.