Officials Say They Did Their Best in Failed Rescue of 3 Fishermen

Despite a malfunction aboard a rescue helicopter and a breakdown in communication between English-speaking rescuers and three Vietnamese fishermen who later drowned, officials say they did all they could to save the men.

“The way we do business and the way we conduct searches is a tried and true method. It works,” said Coast Guard spokesman Dan Tremper.

“Unfortunately, in this instance time ran out.”

On Thursday about 3:30 a.m., Tam Duong, 29, of Oxnard, 34-year-old Tan Le of Pomona and 32-year-old San Nguyen, whose residence is not yet known, were fishing about seven miles north of San Nicolas Island when their 32-foot boat, the Lindy Jane, began to take on water.

Twenty minutes later, the men ditched the boat and jumped into the water, whose temperature was in the 50s. Two of them had on life jackets, and the third had tried unsuccessfully to put on a survival suit before he hit the water.

Despite calling for help on their marine radio before the ship went down, the men were not found by the Coast Guard until 9:35 a.m., six hours later.

The men were airlifted to Torrance Memorial Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

Authorities said one reason for the long search was that they were not given the proper location of the vessel.

Duong’s brother, Timmy Duong, 36, of Oxnard--owner of the boat--said his brother and the other men might have been saved if not for the helicopter problems.

“He’s entitled to his opinion,” Tremper said.

Officials will probably rule out causes as they try to determine why the Lindy Jane sank, Tremper said. Hampering their efforts is the fact there are no witnesses.

“It’s difficult because you don’t have anybody to talk to,” he said.

Instead, investigators will consider sea conditions, the experience of the crew, the type of vessel and the last time it had been boarded for safety reasons.

Tremper said he understands the family’s frustration. However, he said rescuers did their job.

“We’re talking about a rescue area the size of metropolitan Los Angeles. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. We were basically looking for the tops of three heads out in the middle of nothing,” Tremper said.