September 22, 2017 by gCaptain
A British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay rescue helicopter crew rescues an adult female and two children from the vessel Ferrel near Vieques, Puerto Rico, Sept. 21, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard
A helicopter crew with the British Royal Navy has rescued a woman and two children from their overturned vessel which had grounded near Vieques, Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria.
A U.S. Coast Guard search plane located the capsized vessel, named Ferrel, with three people on top at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Thursday following a 24-hour search. A fourth person, an adult male, was reported deceased in the capsized vessel, which is inaccessible to search and rescue crews.
Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders received an EPIRB alert as well as distress call Wednesday from the Ferrel stating they were disabled and adrift in 20-foot seas and 100-knot winds caused by Hurricane Maria.
An urgent marine information broadcast was issued immediately after the distress call.
The search for the vessel involved assets from the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and British Royal Navy.
A video of the rescue was captured by a Coast Guard search plane:
