US Coast Guard Spots Overturned Vessel Near Saipan During Search for Missing Ship A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point spotted an overturned vessel offshore Saipan on Saturday, April 18, 2026, while searching for a missing ship, the Mariana, which had experienced an engine failure on April 15. The Coast Guard confirmed the overturned ship matched the description of the Mariana, a 145-foot dry cargo vessel registered in the United States. The Mariana suffered engine failure on Wednesday, April 15, as Typhoon Sinlaku approached Saipan and nearby islands. The storm brought fierce winds and relentless rain, disrupting maritime operations. The vessel’s crew reported losing its starboard engine and requested assistance, prompting the Coast Guard to establish a one-hour communication schedule. However, contact was lost on Thursday, leading to the initiation of a search. A Coast Guard HC-130 plane launched the following morning to locate the missing vessel but returned to Guam due to heavy winds. The search crew identified the overturned ship approximately 100 nautical miles northeast of the Mariana’s last known position, which was 140 miles north-northwest of Saipan. The vessel was found 34 nautical miles northeast of Pagan, a small island north of Saipan in the western Pacific. The Coast Guard’s Honolulu-based officials were coordinating the search, which involved a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon crew, a Coast Guard cutter, and a Japanese coast guard team equipped with a specialized dive unit. The search efforts were complicated by the typhoon’s aftermath, which left parts of the Northern Marianas without power for weeks. Typhoon Sinlaku caused widespread damage on Saipan, including flooding, roof collapses, and overturned vehicles.#us_coast_guard #mariana #typhoon_sinlaku #saipan #coast_guard_air_station_barbers_point
