Search and Rescue (SAR)

On Thursday, January 12, 1961, the F/V Mermaid lost its rudder near the treacherous Peacock Spit. Strong currents and gale-force winds pushed the helpless vessel toward breaking waves, making a swift rescue essential to avoid near-certain destruction.

After refitting late in the summer of 1800, the master and crew of revenue cutter Pickering boarded their vessel at Newcastle, Delaware, for their next Caribbean war patrol. It would be the last time they set foot on dry land.

In the early 1930s, Coast Guard Commandant Frederick Billard decided to acquire state-of-the-art flying boats capable of performing rescues by landing on the open sea. The first aircraft designed from the start for Coast Guard use, these new amphibians became known as the Coast Guard’s “FLBs” (for Flying Lifeboats).

“SOS! SOS! This is the Prinsendam. We have fire in the engine room and we are dead in the water. SOS!” The order to “Abandon ship” came shortly after 5 a.m.. The ship was beginning to list, and the captain suspected that lower decks were taking on water. The almost 500 passengers and other crewmembers had to leave.