THE U.S. Coast Guard safely towed the 47-foot vessel Lucky Harvest to the Hagåtña, Guam boat basin, arriving shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. The vessel had been located the day before — Friday, May 16 — about 125 nautical miles west of Apra Harbor, with two mariners aboard and reportedly disabled due to an electrical failure.
In a press statement Sunday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard said the crew of USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) transferred the tow to a Station Apra Harbor 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew and the Sector Boarding Team offshore of Apra Harbor. This occurred after a roughly 28-hour transit from the scene. The final 2.5-hour leg ended at the Hagåtña boat basin, where the vessel was met by its owner from Saipan, the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, and other partner agencies.
“The mariners’ activation of their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) at 6:30 a.m. on May 16 allowed the Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam watch to pinpoint the vessel’s location almost instantly,” Chief Warrant Officer Sarah Muir said.
“A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane and crew from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawai’i, arrived on scene first using a line of bearing from the EPIRB to fly directly to the vessel, then vectoring in the U.S. Navy MH-60 Knighthawk helicopter crew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, who hoisted one mariner to safety by 9:30 a.m.” she said.
“The Hercules crew remained overhead of the Lucky Harvest until the Myrtle Hazard crew arrived, retrieved the second mariner, and took the vessel safely in tow to Guam,” she added.
She said the Sector Boarding Team conducted a routine post-search-and-rescue boarding on the Lucky Harvest once in port with no negative findings.
Muir said the cause of Lucky Harvest’s electrical failure and delay in activating the beacon “is under review.”
Lucky Harvest was reported missing after departing Alamagan Island on May 12, en route to Saipan.
Muir said “the Lucky Harvest crew’s rescue highlights the critical role of EPIRBs.”
“The locator beacon enabled our rapid response, bringing the mariners to safety within hours,” said Cmdr. Patton Epperson, search and rescue mission coordinator. “As National Safe Boating Week begins, the U.S. Coast Guard urges mariners to wear a lifejacket, carry distress signaling devices, file float plans with family or friends and call for assistance before the situation becomes dire. Thank you to all our partners on this case.”
According to the Coast Guard, the search and rescue operation was supported by the CNMI Department of Public Safety, a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon airplane and crew from Kadena Air Force Base, and the motor vessel Mama Loling’s crew, amid east winds of 15 knots and seas of up to 6 feet, becoming 2 to 3 feet.
In a separate statement on Friday, CNMI Assistant Chief of Police Simon Manacop said: “USCG informed Marine Patrol Section that at 1010 hours the [helicopter] located Lucky Harvest. One of the passengers was hoisted and they are enroute to Guam Naval Hospital. Lucky Harvest is now attached to [a] sea anchor. Myrtle Hazard Cutter is estimated to arrive at the Lucky Harvest location at 1400 hours.”
Manacop said Luck Harvest was located 104 miles west of Guam.
At 4 p.m. Friday Manacop said: “Update from Coast Guard: The cutter has reached Lucky Harvest and transferred the captain of Lucky Harvest to the cutter Myrtle Hazard. The vessel will be towed to Guam.”
Background
Around midday on May 13, Saipan Boating Safety officials notified the U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center watchstanders of the potentially overdue vessel.
The Coast Guard then diverted the USCGC Myrtle Hazard, already patrolling nearby, to a location 38 miles northwest of Rota, believed to be the vessel’s last known position.
Lucky Harvest, a CNMI registered vessel owned by Cecilio Raiukiulipiy, was equipped with a VHF radio, orange lifejackets, flares, an emergency beacon, fuel, and provisions.
According to DPS, Lucky Harvest, with two mariners on board, escorted Fish and Wildlife personnel to conduct a survey at Alamagan earlier and was on its way back to Saipan when it went missing.
An MH-60 Knighthawk helicopter crew from U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 makes contact with mariners from the 47-foot motor vessel Lucky Harvest at around 9:30 a.m., some 125 nautical miles west of Guam on May 16, 2025.
The crew of the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) arrives on scene with the 47-foot motor vessel Lucky Harvest adrift around 125 nautical miles west of Guam on May 16, 2025, and set up the tow.
