News Release

BALTIMORE - The Coast Guard rescued two people from a disabled boat in the Chesapeake Bay near the Bay Bridge Monday afternoon.

Rescued were Thomas Hollerbach, 50, and his child, both from Baltimore.

A representative from Deckleman's Towing contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders via telephone at approximately 12:30 p.m. requesting assistance for a disabled 28-foot pleasure craft south of the Bay Bridge.

A 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Annapolis, Md., located the disabled boat in the shipping channel at approximately 1:40 p.m.  The crew then towed the vessel out of the shipping channel and remained on scene.  A Deckleman's Towing boat crew arrived on scene at approximately 3 p.m. and took the vessel in tow.

"A Deckelman's Towing representative contacted the Coast Guard with a one-hour estimated time of arrival requesting assistance for the disabled boat," said Petty Officer 1st Class Nicole Clark, a search and rescue coordinator at Sector Baltimore.  "Due to the possibility of a distress situation with being in the shipping channel, the Coast Guard launched to assist the boat in getting to a safe location outside of the channel."

There were no reports of injuries.

The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio. Using channel 16 on a marine-band radio is the most reliable way to communicate a distress to search and rescue personnel in the event of an emergency while on the water.