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Home : Media : News
NEWS | Aug. 11, 2019

Navy research vessel assists in recovering distressed mariners

By Katherine Mapp NSWC PCD Public Affairs

The Sea Fighter (FSF-1) team from Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, rescued three individuals after their vessel began taking on water 10 miles west of Clearwater Pass July 10.

The Sea Fighter team, consisting of all hands on watch plus boat crew and launch team, recovered the boaters from the water and transferred them to the Coast Guard Station San Key 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S). No injuries were reported.

The RB-S crew transported the boaters to Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp where Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members were waiting.

Jeff Spence, master of the Sea Fighter, said he and his crew remain prepared for any scenarios that may arise.

“Though a rescue is not typically the nature of the Sea Fighter’s mission, mariners are expected to respond when and where they can to provide assistance to vessels in distress,” Said Spence. 

The Sea Fighter is a test platform of NSWC PCD and the Office of Naval Research.