USCG HC-130J aircraft
US Navy P-8 Poseidon
TO expand the search for the 47-foot vessel Lucky Harvest, which went missing after departing Alamagan on May 12 en route to Saipan, the U.S. Coast Guard requested additional air support.
In a second update issued on Thursday, Chief Warrant officer Sarah Muir said the USCG, alongside the U.S. Navy, the CNMI Department of Public Safety, and civilian partners, continued the search on May 15.
“The search remains focused west of Saipan. The USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) crew is actively searching,” she said.
According to Muir, additional search efforts included the DPS Saipan boat crew, which searched for eight hours west of Saipan Harbor, and the crew of the motor vessel Mama Loling, a sister vessel of the Lucky Harvest, searched for 15 hours before returning to Saipan Harbor around midnight on May 15.
Muir said a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane and crew from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawai’i and a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft and crew from Kadena Air Force Base in Japan joined the search midday May 15.
“These aircraft will take over the aerial searches from U.S. Navy MH-60 Knighthawk helicopter crew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 who flew multiple search patterns on May 14,” Muir added.
“We’re leveraging our available resources to locate the Lucky Harvest and ensure the safety of its crew,” said Cmdr. Patton Epperson, the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam search and rescue mission coordinator. “We continue to ask the public to share any sightings or knowledge they may have and we’re deeply grateful for the dedication of our Navy, DPS, and civilian partners in this ongoing search.”
According to the Coast Guard, the Lucky Harvest is equipped with a VHF radio, orange life jackets, flares, an emergency beacon, fuel, and provisions.
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.
A U.S. Navy MH-60 Knighthawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 joined the search at 3 p.m.
The Coast Guard also alerted nearby mariners through an urgent marine information broadcast and SafetyNet and attempted to contact the vessel’s crew by cellphone and radio. But the calls went to voicemail and earlier radio contact provided an unclear location.
According to DPS, Lucky Harvest is a CNMI registered vessel and is owned by Cecilio Raiukiulipiy.
Assistant Chief of Police Simon Manacop said: “The vessel is registered in the CNMI, and the two mariners are Filipino.”
Manacop added, “They had escorted Fish and Wildlife personnel to conduct a survey at Alamagan. The only cargo was equipment for Fish and Wildlife — no cargo was loaded from Alamagan.”
