Coast Guard considering policy changes after tragic December rescue
The Coast Guard is considering national policy changes, including a new requirement that its vessels carry defibrillators, The Boston Globe reports.
According to the Globe, the Coast Guard’s policy review and internal investigation was sparked by a tragic rescue off the coast of Cape Ann in December.
The Orin C, a commercial fishing boat out of Gloucester with three crew aboard, sank while being towed by the Coast Guard. Two of the three crew members swam to safety, but the boat’s captain, David “Heavy D’’ Sutherland, couldn’t be revived after he was rescued by a Coast Guard swimmer.
“It doesn’t happen often that someone dies on the deck of one of our cutters or that we recover someone who’s unresponsive,’’ Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Karen Kutkiewicz told the Globe. “We’re reviewing [policies] because of the death.’’
According to the Globe, an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is also underway.
Read the full Globe report here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com