A U.S. Coast Guardsman, a cruise ship captain and crew and the captains and crews of four commercial ships were formally recognized for saving mariners in peril at the Association for Rescue at Sea annual Capitol Hill Gold Medal awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The annual event was held at the Rayburn House Office Building Oct. 30, and was hosted by Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as other senior maritime and congressional officials, attended.
This year’s honorees included:
- Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Kelly, who rescued four mariners in distress off the Maine coast in November.
- Captain Pietro Sinisi and the crew of the cruise ship Costa Luminosa, who saved 11 lives from a burning fish carrier in the Aegean Sea.
- The captains and crews from four Amver-participating commercial ships – the vessels Green Lake, New Century 1, Genco Augustus and Venus Spirit – who joined forces and saved the lives of 15 people who had to abandon ship from a burning car carrier in the Pacific.
AFRAS helps protect mariners from the perils of the sea by providing monetary and in-kind donations to world volunteer maritime search and rescue organizations. The charity also recognizes and honors extraordinary maritime rescues through its awards program and annual ceremony. AFRAS is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity. Visit AFRAS online to learn more about the organization.
