Coast Guard first on scene, pulled Barima survivors from dark waters
–‘Help, help, help’: rescuers followed cries through darkness to reach men, women and children struggling to stay afloat
The first GDF Coast Guard rescuers followed cries for help through the darkness, directing their spotlights towards people struggling to stay afloat in the turbulent ocean.
That vivid account, given by Petty Officer Deon Smith on Thursday before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy, placed his Metal Shark crew first at the disaster site, pulling men, women and children from the dark waters within three hours of the initial distress alert.
Across the day’s testimony, pilots and Coast Guard officers described an emergency response that unfolded with urgency and calculated determination, decisions that ultimately saved lives.
Lieutenant Rolwyn Heywood, the weekend duty officer at Coast Guard headquarters, testified that he received the distress alert at 10:51 pm on July 18. He said he plotted the beacon’s position about 8.25 nautical miles off the Essequibo Coast, checked vessel-tracking information and, by 11:10 pm, directed the Pomeroon base towards the location.
Smith told the commission that “we heard screams, ‘help, help, help, over here,’ and we moved in that direction using spotlights.” His crew pulled survivors aboard and continued responding as other voices emerged from the darkness. Before daybreak, they transferred survivors to a Maritime Administration Department pilot boat.
The Coast Guard dispatched additional boats to the search area as Roraima Airways and GDF aircrews were responding from the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle.
Captain Learie Barclay, Roraima Airways’ Director of Operations, said Captain Gerry Goveia Sr called him at 12:16 am to report that the Barima was believed to be in distress and request an aerial search.
“After I got the call, I got out of bed, dragged on a flight suit, woke my wife up, informed her that I was leaving, that there was an emergency I needed to take care of, and drove to Ogle,” Barclay testified.
He reached the airport at 12:45 am. The Islander aircraft departed at 1:36 am, with Captain Gerry Goveia Jr as pilot; Barclay took control of the navigation and communications systems, and a third crew member acted as a spotter.
After reaching Hampton Court on the Essequibo coast, the crew headed out to sea along the direction in which they understood the tide would carry anything floating.
Barclay said he switched his frequency and picked up a strong emergency signal.
“So, we continued on that line because the signal kept getting stronger and stronger,” he told the commission.
The crew saw one flare, then a second and a third. At 2:09 am, Barclay marked the location and relayed it to air traffic control. He also sent the coordinates to Lieutenant Colonel Anson Weekes of the GDF.
Barclay said that while the flares were visible, there was no vessel to be seen.
“We expressed concern in the cockpit. Grave concern. Because the flares were very bright, but we saw nothing of consequence on the sea,” Barclay said.
On the return flight, he was relieved to hear that two people had been rescued. Before landing at about 2:37 am, he heard that eight more had been rescued.
Weekes, meanwhile, described a separate military aviation response that began with a call shortly after midnight.
He prepared a Bell 407 helicopter and was joined by co-pilot Captain Andio Crawford. Their assignment included transporting a drone team to Hampton Court and conducting reconnaissance.
The helicopter departed at about 1:45 am and landed at Hampton Court at approximately 2:15 am.
Its offshore role was limited. Weekes and Crawford testified that the single-engine helicopter could not enter the offshore search area at night because of operational limitations and applicable civil aviation requirements. Instead, they searched the coastline for possible survivors.
“We were instructed to conduct coastline reconnaissance, essentially to search for possible survivors,” Weekes said.
The overnight reconnaissance produced no confirmed sightings. The crew remained available at Hampton Court until daybreak, and Weekes subsequently supported further searches, including sorties by Omni Helicopters.
Regional Security System aircraft from Barbados joined the operation that evening.
Heywood told the commission that the Coast Guard confirmed just after 1 am that the emergency involved the Barima. The GDFS Shahoud left Ruimveldt at about 3:30 am with him aboard as navigation officer.
Heywood told the commission that the 54-metre vessel required a full crew before sailing. Because it was a weekend, personnel had to be recalled, some from as far away as Linden and the East Coast.
“That was the fastest possible time that we could have responded to that distress,” he said. “You also have to take [crew] safety into consideration.”
At about 7:30 am, the Shahoud encountered a fishing vessel carrying 11 survivors and two police ranks.
Heywood said the survivors needed urgent medical attention, so the Coast Guard directed the boat to continue to shore.
He testified that the Shahoud then coordinated a search involving six Coast Guard vessels and 12 civilian vessels. Heywood said heavy rain and mist reduced night visibility to about 500 yards and that the sea was choppy.
Senior Petty Officer Lyndon Phillips described joining the operation on July 19, searching within a 15-nautical-mile radius and finding floating life jackets and cargo, but no survivors that day.
At about 2 pm on July 20, his team found six bodies and took them to Charity wharf, where medical assistance was waiting.
He said crews widened their search to account for the tide and worked in seas that were often rough. His deployment continued until July 31, and during that time he dived to the exact location of the Barima in order to mark the spot.
For Petty Officer Deon Smith, the consequences of the rescue have extended far beyond the operation itself. Near the end of his testimony, a commissioner asked how he was coping. Smith said he was in therapy. Asked how it was going, he replied: “It’s not good enough.”
Each time the matter resurfaced, he said, it would trigger his anxiety and trauma.
“I’m sure it took a lot of courage for you to come here today and try to help us,” the commissioner told him. “Thank you for your service, and I wish you a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you, sir,” Smith replied.
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