Yesterday, a combined rescue effort by the Coast Guard and the Navy saved 18 people from a distressed vessel off the coast of San Diego. According to the U.S. Coast Guard press release, the group, consisting of 17 undocumented individuals plus one American, was aboard a 35-foot boat that had begun taking on water in international waters roughly 50 miles southwest of San Diego.
The call for help was picked up around 7:55 a.m., leading the crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) to launch a rescue operation. The sailors deployed a small vessel to reach the disabled craft and brought all the individuals aboard the Spruance safely. Later, a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was tasked with transporting the rescued group to Coast Guard Sector San Diego. Due to the constraints in the passenger capacity of the aircraft, the evacuation was completed throughout two separate flights.
The circumstances surrounding the disabled vessel and the presence of 17 aliens with one American on board have not been fully disclosed. The U.S. Coast Guard's message underscored the perils of irregular maritime migration on ill-equipped or overcrowded vessels.
