Marine Electric: A Wreck That Changed the Coast Guard

The Coast Guard had long since dispatched an HH-3F Pelican helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and directed the crews of several cutters to the Marine Electric’s position, but the tumultuous weather conditions slowed the rescuers’ progress. Cusick remained huddled in his lifeboat until the sailors on board the Berganger, a Norwegian merchant vessel whose crew was helping search the area, sighted him and notified the Coast Guard. His push for reform resulted in several additions to the Coast Guard’s marine safety protocol, including guidance on hatch cover inspections, and new requirements for enclosed lifeboats and their launching systems, for ships’ owners to provide crews with cold water survival suits and for flooding alarms to be installed in unmanned spaces on vessels.

Source: www.maritime-executive.com