The 311-foot Third District Cutter Half Moon has returned to her home port at Base, St. George, Staten Island, following an eventful Search and Rescue and Law Enforcement Patrol in the Florida Straits.

On the morning of January 11, the cutter, commanded by Cdr Emmett G. McCarthy was steaming through the calm waters off the Florida Keys when she received a message from the Miami Rescue Coordination Center to proceed and investigate a reported shooting incident, 95 miles east, southeast of miami. The incident turned out to be a one-hour-long running sea battle in what fisherman call a Lobsterman's War.

Coast Guard Alerted

Map The Coast Guard was first informed of the incident at 7:56am when an unidentified vessel radioed that she was being fired upon by another fishing boat near Cay Sal Bank. As the closest Coast Guard unit, the Half Moon rushed to the scene.

Two Seventh District cutters, Cape Fox and Cape Darby, and two HH52A helicopters and two amphibian airplanes from Opa Locka Air Station were also dispatched to the scene.

At 9:29 am, Half Moon crewmen armed with .45 caliber pistols and M-16 rifles boarded and seized the bullet-riddled lobster boat Bahama Mama. There they found the vessel's 33 year-old skipper wounded in the right arm and leg.

Within minutes, another armed boarding party of four Coast Guardsmen seized the lobster boat Trojan out of Stock Island, Florida, and her three man crew. Neither vessel attempted to resist the Half Moon's crewmen.

Medical Help Arrives

A Coard Guard helicopter lowered a U.S. Public Health Service doctor from Miami who treated the wounded fisherman aboard the Half Moon.

Bunky & Billy J Soon the Half Moon rounded up and seized two other lobster boats involved in the case, the Bunky and the Billy J. Both vessels carried two crewmen and were working with the Bahama Mama out of Key West when the shooting incident occurred. When Coast Guardsmen boarded the Billy J they found the vessel's mate dead. He had a bullet wound in the chest. The body was removed to the Half Moon.

At the advice of the Public Health Service doctor, the twice-wounded man was airlifed from the Half Moon's stern and flown to Miami for Hospitalization.

The six remaining fisherman were placed under guard aboard the Half Moon while the boarding parties steered the seized craft to Marathon, Florida under escort of the Half Moon and the Cape Darby.

FBI Arrived

While awaiting the arrival of FBI Agents, Coast Guardsmen made damage surveys on each of the small boats and turned all confiscated weapons - small arms and rifles - over to Senior Chief Gunners Mate Eddie N. Green. Chief Green took custody, guarded and labeled each weapon for FBI Agents.

As the Half Moon neared Sombrero Light, Coast Guard small craft from Marathon CGSTA arrived with FBI investigators who took all suspects and evidence into custody.

Lobster Dispute

Lobstering in southern waters reportedly is a $12 million a year business and a good lobsterman can earn $15,000 annually. Lobstermen sink their traps in international waters, where anyone can pilfer the catch. Lobstermen often carry high powered rifles and small arms to discourage this practice. Two of the vessels involved had reportedly been arguing for some time over who could put his lobster traps where. This incident appears to be the most serious outbreak in recent years.


The article above originally appeared in the Third Coast Guard District publication
The SCOPE Vol. III, No. 2 - February 1967

Thanks to Russ Worthington, former RM1 on the Half Moon who was on watch when the Bahama Mama transmitted her May Day.


The following eye-witness account was received from
Senior Chief Quartermaster Richard Brooks (Ret.)

Reading about the lobster wars on the home page, all the air rushed out of between my ears and my brain kicked in and I remembered, (actually my wife reminded me) I was on the boarding party that took the Billy J.

I remember it was a mess. The Billy J was all shot up, the mate had a big hole in his chest made by a 303 slug and the steering was all shot up. DC1 Hudson was with me and he made temporary repairs. We had to take all the vessels approximately 110 miles to the Keys with a North-easter blowing in. We were so wet and cold, I put the dead man's shirt on to keep warm. The vessel didn't have much steering capabilities - mainly right and left full rudder. It was hard keeping station on the Half Moon. We looked like a mother duck with her babies following. Arrived in port with TV cameras all over the place. Like a damn fool, I still had that shirt on. Wish I still had that photo! It didn't go over well with the XO - something about consideration for the dead.

Several months later we had to appear in court in Florida. The defense was making a mockery out of the Coast Guard. They attempted to show we didn't know what we were doing. They went as far as to change the bolt on the suspected murder weapon. I was asked if I was a qualified medical person since I stated in my report that the person on board was dead. My reply was: 'Any damn fool could see he was because he had a hole as big as a half a dollar right smack in the middle of his chest, and no pulse'. The rest of the crew was dismissed because he didn't like the answers. I don't think he liked my answers either because the judge made some kind of comment about my not replying yes or no and running my mouth when I was supposed to shut up. Walked out of the court room and an officer said: 'Thank You'. Last I had heard the shooter got off. Sorry I can't remember the entire boarding party but one was from Lopoc (not sure of spelling) Florida, we visited his family on the way down and back.


The January 11, 1967 Cay Sal Lobster War
Trojan Bahama Mama Billy J Bunky III
CaptainRaymond C.
Vanyo
William *
Branthoover
John
Miller
Robert
Miller
MateGeorge W.
Broome
Delbert
Miller
Vern M. **
Austin
Robert
McCulley
CrewNevin R.
Fitz
---
Seized09:3609:3010:0710:03
Officer-In-Charge
of Boarding Party
LTJG James
Weiss
ENS Robert
Barnes
ENS Harold
Hoppe
ENS Craig
Wilson
CG CrewmanDC3 Charles R.
Cooper
EM2 John J.
Porter
DC1 Arley N. HudsonSN Gary L.
Thrash
CG CrewmanSN Henry G.
Schneider III
EN3 Clement R.
Bobkowski
QM2 Richard A.
Brooks
FN Frank W.
Moran
CG CrewmanFN Damon W. Von EiffSN Giles J.
Kennedy
SN Joseph E. McDonald-
CG Crewman;/TD>SA Donald D.
Mack
FN Lloyd S.
Savage
--
Remarks * = Injured ** = Killed


Return to

Half Moon's Home Page

1