Salem-News.com Astoria articles

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Fisherman (PHOTOS)

Coast Guard crews and local agencies searched for a 65-year old man who was reported overdue from a fishing trip.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - The Coast Guard suspended the search for an overdue 65-year-old fisherman who was reported missing in Oregon's Nehalem Bay Friday.

The Coast Guard searched for the fisherman approximately five hours before suspending the search pending any new information that would assist in locating the man.

Coast Guard Responds With Several Agencies to Capsized Vessel

Only two people out of six were wearing their life jackets when the boat rolled over near Manhattan Beach, Oregon.

(MANHATTAN BEACH, Ore.) - The Coast Guard, Rockaway Beach, Oregon Police and Fire, the Tillamook Sheriff's department, Nehalem Fire and Tillamook County EMS responded to a report of six people in distress after the 21-foot boat they were in capsized at the entrance to Nehalem Bay, Monday.

A Coast Guard official reports that around 12:55 p.m., their rescue station at Tillamook Bay received a call from Tillamook County 911 relaying a report from a Good Samaritan of a capsized boat at the entrance of Nehalem Bay.

The Coast Guard crews at Tillamook Bay launched two rescue boat crews to the Nehalem Bay entrance and a beach crew to the Nehalem Bay South jetty to assist local police, fire and sheriff crews who were also responding.

LOCATED SAFE - Missing Fishing Boat Crew Contacts Coast Guard

The Kay Ann was missing but Coast Guard officials are in contact and the crew is safe.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - The crew of the 39-foot fishing vessel Kay Ann contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday. The crew of the Kay Ann were two hours from Astoria when they called to inform officials they were fine.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon, homeported in Seattle, and two C-130 Hercules search plane crews from Coast Guard Air Station Sacrame
nto, Calif., searched for the boat since late Thursday after the Kay Ann was reported overdue.

Man Dies in Single Vehicle Crash on Highway 26 west of Elsie (PHOTOS)

The driver was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police say alcohol is a possible contributing factor.

(ELSIE, Ore.) - Oregon State Police troopers have cleared the scene of Monday afternoon's fatal traffic crash on Highway 26 west of Elsie. They say their investigation of the incident is continuing. The victim's name is being released following confirmation and next of kin notification.

OSP Sergeant Andrew Merila says Monday at approximately 4:17 p.m. a full-size Chevrolet pickup driven by 37-year old William J. Pierce of Hillsboro, was westbound on Highway 26 near milepost 20.

Helicopter Crashes in Grays Harbor: Both People Survive (VIDEO)

It was reported that the passenger survived the crash into the water without being injured. The pilot however, did reportedly suffer minor injuries.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - The Coast Guard says a privately owned helicopter crashed into the shallow waters of Grays Harbor, Washington sometime before 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 7th 2009.

It happened about a mile north of Ocean Shores, Washington. The people were located and recovered early in the morning.

Search Suspended for Missing Boater near Astoria, Oregon

The Coast Guard Air Station in Astoria received the report at 12:26 p.m. and dispatched an HH-60 helicopter crew while a 25-foot motor lifeboat crew left from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Washington.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - Coast Guard officials say the search has been suspended for a man at Tongue Point who went missing Sunday after the boat he was in struck a submerged object and capsized.

The Clatsop County Sheriff's Office has dispatched a dive team to the area hoping to find some sign of the missing man.

Coast Guard Airlifts Crewman 150 Miles Offshore (VIDEO)

The Coast Guard conducted a medevac of a crewmember off the 623-foot container ship Dapenghai 150 miles west from the entrance of the Columbia River Saturday.

(SEATTLE) - In this video released by the Coast Guard, an HH-60 helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., conducts a medevac of a crewmember off the 623-foot container ship Dapenghai 150 miles west from the entrance of the Columbia River. The rescue was completed Saturday, Jan. 17th 2009.

Officials say the rescue helicopter crew transported the crewmember to an awaiting Life Flight helicopter crew at Astoria Regional Airport.

Around 8:30 AM Saturday, the Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., launched an HH-60 rescue helicopter crew to the scene, after receiving a report of a 36-year-old male crewmember suffering a possible stroke.

Man Dies in Crash on Highway 30 near Knappa‏

OSP troopers from the Astoria Area Command office are continuing the investigation.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - Oregon State Police troopers are continuing the investigation into a single vehicle traffic crash that resulted in the death of an Astoria-area man shortly after midnight on Highway 30 in the Knappa area.

According to OSP Lieutenant Duane Stanton, police, fire and medical agencies were notified early this morning at 12:03 AM of a single vehicle crash on Highway 30 near milepost 82.

Their preliminary investigation indicates a 2009 Toyota Tacoma pickup driven by 21-year old Robert James Rankin of Astoria, was eastbound on Hillcrest Loop when it failed to negotiate a curve.

WWII Veteran Has Special Connection to Old Fort Stevens (VIDEO)

Fort Stevens abounds with historical sites and experiences. For Dr. Phil Leveque the old base has a personal connection; his father served here.

(FORT STEVENS, Ore.) - If you let your imagination go at old Fort Stevens on the north Oregon coast, you can almost hear the sounds of the big guns that once roared and shook the ground here, but today lay silent as a testimony to another time in history.

A volunteer at Fort Stevens, Roger Stillick, says the historical importance of this old military installation is important. "It is very underrated, because this is a Civil War fort," Stillick said, adding that the area was actually colonized in 1812. More interestingly, it was a Native American fort prior to the white man's arrival used to guard and protect fishing in the area.

Salem-News.com's Dr. Phil Leveque agrees, saying the level of historical importance is extremely high. "Because they thought the south might try to invade the west by going up the Columbia River," Leveque said.

Coast Guard`s Steadfast Returns to Astoria After 52-Day Patrol

Steadfast is a Reliance Class cutter, one of 14 in the Coast Guard fleet and one of only three based on the West Coast.

(ASTORIA, Ore.) - The United States Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC 623) returned to her homeport of Astoria, Ore., on Thursday from a successful 52-day deployment. The 210' cutter and its 75-person crew conducted Living Marine Resource enforcement off the Washington and Oregon coast.

During the patrol, Steadfast conducted at-sea boardings of 30 commercial fishing vessels, enforcing the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act and federal law. Steadfast also assisted in the enforcement of state fisheries regulations.