Sailors from the USS Porter, a guided-missile destroyer, collaborated with the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue four stranded divers off the coast of North Carolina. The Porter, participating in a large-scale naval exercise at the time, responded to a call for assistance and retrieved the divers from a life raft. Basic medical evaluations and meals were provided to the divers before they were returned to shore and reunited with their families. The successful rescue demonstrated the crew’s flexibility and readiness to handle a variety of operational tasks.
Key Points:
- The USS Porter received a request from the Coast Guard to assist in rescuing four divers stranded 40 nautical miles southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina.
- The rescue operation was conducted while the Porter was engaged in the Navy and Marine Corps’ Large Scale Exercise, a global drill involving over 25,000 personnel to synchronize global operations and enhance warfighting effectiveness.
- Sailors from the Porter retrieved the divers from a life raft, provided medical evaluations and meals, and the Coast Guard carried them to shore to reunite with their families.
- Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer praised the Porter’s crew for their ability to conduct the rescue while actively participating in a significant global naval exercise, emphasizing their readiness and capability to respond to various tasks.
- Large Scale Exercise, held from August 9 to 18, involves several key U.S. naval and marine commands, focusing on assessing and refining concepts like distributed maritime operations.
