Car carrier saved crew of sinking catamaran

The crew of the "Hercules Leader" enroute from Jacksonville to Gibraltar assisted in the rescue of the crew of six of the 75-ft-catamaran "Ninah" on JAn 19, 2017. Wachstanders with the 5th Coast Guard District in Portsmouth coordinated the rescue operation 275 miles southwest of Bermuda. They received an emergency position indicating radio beacon alert and notification from the Rescue Coordination Center in Bermuda that the "Ninah" had been struck by a rogue wave early this morning and was taking on water. The watchstanders directed the launch of an airplane crew, from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and diverted the "Hercules Leader", an Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), to the catamaran’s location. The six sailors abandoned their sinking vessel and were rescued from their life raft by the crew of the "Hercules Leader". The sailors will be taken to Bermuda.