Doug Faunt is OK

[gerisullivan]

RIP HMS Bounty.

Bounty sank off the coast of North Carolina overnight. The crew donned survival suits and boarded her life boats in a timely manner. The Coast Guard sent out rescue helicopters.

Doug posted to Facebook that he's okay a few minutes ago. I don't know for sure he was on board; further details welcome. Right now, I'm relieved he's okay, and hope the same is true of the entire Bounty crew.

Bounty going down is the last news in the world I expected to be posting today. Yes, there's a huge hurricane out there. Yes, she's a ship that regularly sails these waters. But my head just hadn't gone there, not at all.

She was a fine, fine ship. A beauty.

Edited to add:

athenais sent me a text with an additional info based on what Doug posted on Facebook a few minutes ago. "He is at the USCG station in Elizabeth City, NC. 2 still unaccounted for. They swam free as the ship was sinking and got into the life rafts."

My prayers are with the entire crew.

Comments

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Geri, thanks so much for posting this. It's a great relief to know that Doug is okay. I hope his shipmates are rescued soon, too.

(LJ went down briefly during my first attempt at posting, so if I end up posting twice, that's why.)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I am glad Doug is OK, too.

K.

[drplokta]

I'm very glad to hear that Doug is OK. Thanks for the update -- I saw the news story, and was concerned.

[tagwn.livejournal.com]

So glad Doug is OK, but worried about the two missing. On CNN the USCG said they would continue searching for them.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

Rise again. Rise again.

Rescue

[radlein.livejournal.com]

On Twitter, Maureen Kincaid Speller has shared actual footage that Gary Farber found of Doug being rescued by the Coast Guard:

http://static.dvidshub.net/media/video/1210/DOD_100600374/DOD_100600374-366x274-300k.mp4 (Direct link)

He's clearly visible at the end, wearing bright yellow.

[kaffy_r]

Good lord. I knew of Bounty sinking, and had a personal interest in it, because it was built in Halifax, but I had no idea that someone I knew even casually as an old RASFF acquaintance was on the ship. Imagine my surprise when I saw Gary quoted, saw Doug's name, and made the connection.

I'm so glad most of the crew were rescued. My thoughts are with the family of the woman who died, and I hope they are indeed able to find and rescue the captain.