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Editor's Note: To view video of today's ceremony, please click here.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Coast Guard thanked the captain and crew of a South Korean-flagged merchant ship for its role in the rescue of an American sailor 180-miles off the coast of Madagascar at a ceremony Monday.
Capt. Paul Thomas, commander Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, and Captain of the Port of Jacksonville delivered remarks to the captain and crew of the South Korean-flagged merchant ship Auto Banner at the Jacksonville Port Authorities Blount Island Terminal. The crew of the Auto Banner rescued Leo Sherman, 56, a native of Gilman, Ill., Jan. 22, after the sailboat he was aboard, the Queequeg II, capsized following a severe storm off the coast Madagascar.
Three crewmembers including Sherman aboard the Queequeg II were on a two year voyage around the world when the boat capsized. Sherman was the only survivor.
The Auto Banner is a member of the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System or AMVER, which is a computer-based, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. Since 1990, AMVER ships have saved approximately 2,000 lives that may have otherwise been lost.
"AMVER is founded on one of the fundamental principles that guide the lives of the men and women who make their living on the high seas," said Thomas. "The obligation to assist those in peril on the high seas is paramount to all other concerns, and that response to emergencies knows no boundaries or nationalities."
The international search effort consisted of resources from the Coast Guard, Air Force, South Africa, and AMVER ships.
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Capt. Paul Thomas, commander Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Fla., and Captain of the Port of Jacksonville poses alongside Duck Jun Kim, captain of the South Korean-flagged merchant ship Auto Banner, and Leo Sherman, a private citizen from Gilman, Ill, Monday, March 2, 2009, in Jacksonville. Sherman was rescued by the crew of the Auto Banner approximately 180-miles south of Madagascar Jan. 22, after his sailboat capsized following a storm. U.S. Coast Guard photo/ Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
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Capt. Paul Thomas, commander Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Fla., and Captain of the Port of Jacksonville delivers remarks, Monday, March 2, 2009, at a ceremony to thank Capt. Duck Jun Kim (left) and crew of the South Korean-flagged merchant ship Auto Banner for rescuing Leo Sherman (right) after the sailboat he was aboard capsized 180-miles south of Madagascar Jan. 22. The Auto Banner is a member of the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System or AMVER, which is a computer-based, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. U.S. Coast Guard photo/ Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
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