The US Coast Guard rescued two fishing crews in two days. Both boats had run aground. In both cases, a helicopter lifted the people off the boat. All of them survived.
On 28 October 2026, a helicopter rescued five people and a dog from the shrimp boat Shayna Michele in South Carolina. On 29 October, another helicopter rescued five crew from the fishing boat Oracle in Alaska.
South Carolina: shrimp boat on the jetty
The Shayna Michele is a commercial shrimping boat. On Wednesday, 28 October, at about 12:50 local time, the crew called the Coast Guard on VHF radio channel 16. They said the boat was taking on water and was aground on a jetty. A jetty is a long stone wall that protects the entrance to a bay or port. This was at Winyah Bay, near Georgetown, South Carolina, the Coast Guard said in a press release.
A Coast Guard boat crew from Station Georgetown went to help. The Coast Guard also asked local services for any boats nearby. Then an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Savannah arrived.
The helicopter crew lifted all five people and the dog off the boat. They took them to a local airport. There, medical staff checked them. No one was injured.
The helicopter pilot, Lt. Hunter Shortly, said it was hard to reach the boat because of its many wires and cables. He said the rescue swimmer "did a phenomenal job" to get everyone to safety. A rescue swimmer is a crew member who goes down from the helicopter to help people in the water or on deck.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause. The owner is working with the Coast Guard to salvage the boat. To salvage means to save the boat and bring it off the rocks.
Alaska: fishing boat aground at False Pass
Early on Thursday, 29 October, the fishing boat Oracle ran aground near the south end of False Pass, in southwest Alaska. The local radio station KUCB reported this, quoting a Coast Guard press release.
The Coast Guard got the report at about 04:45 local time. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter came from Air Station Kodiak. It arrived about an hour and a half later.
The helicopter crew lifted all five people off the boat. They flew them to the clinic in Cold Bay, a small town nearby. The Coast Guard said the injuries were minor. The Coast Guard's Alaska district listed the rescue in its press releases on 29 October. It did not name the crew.
For fishing crews: if your boat runs aground
These are general safety tips, not findings from these two cases. The causes of both groundings are still not known.
Call for help early on VHF channel 16 or by phone. Give your position, the number of people on board, and what is happening. Do not wait until the boat is sinking.
Put on life jackets at once. In cold water, such as in Alaska, put on immersion suits. An immersion suit is a full-body suit that keeps you warm and afloat.
Keep your EPIRB ready. An EPIRB is an emergency beacon that sends your position to rescue services by satellite.
Stay with the boat if it is safe. A boat is easier for a helicopter to find than a person in the water.
Before a helicopter arrives, secure loose gear, ropes and lines on deck if you can do it safely. Wires and rigging make it hard for the helicopter crew to reach you.
Follow every instruction from the helicopter crew and the rescue swimmer. Do not touch the hook before it touches the deck or the water. It can give an electric shock.
Cover photo: A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew looks at the fishing boat Predator, aground near Akutan Harbor, Alaska, in February 2017. The crew then lifted three people off. Illustrative photo, not the Oracle. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard, Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped).
Sources: U.S. Coast Guard, 29 Oct 2026: Coast Guard rescues five people, dog from fishing vessel taking on water near Winyah Bay, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District press releases: Coast Guard rescues 5 people near False Pass, Alaska (29 Oct 2026), KUCB, 29 Oct 2026: Five rescued after F/V Oracle runs aground near False Pass.
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