Port Canaveral Cutter Rescues, Repatriates 127 Migrants
U. S. Coast Guard
February 14, 2005
MIAMI - The Coast Guard Cutter Confidence rescued 127 Dominican Republic migrants from an overloaded vessel in heavy seas 25 miles north of Puerto Rico, Saturday.
The migrant vessel, a 40-foot homemade "yola", was located by a patrolling HU-25 falcon jet flying from Air Station Borinquen. Confidence was diverted to the scene and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter was also dispatched as a precautionary measure in the event the vessel capsized.
The crew of Confidence was able to safely transfer life jackets to all on board the vessel and then removed them for their safety.
Many migrants were suffering from severe seasickness and dehydration; One female migrant was unconscious as a result of diabetic shock. They all received treatment from Confidence's corpsman and quickly recovered. In addition to medical treatment and life jackets, all migrants were given food, water and blankets.
The weather at the time included six-foot seas and winds up to 25 miles-per-hour.
On Sunday, all 127 migrants were transferred from Confidence to the Dominican Navy vessel Canopus.
The cutter Confidence is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter from Port Canaveral, Fla.
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