On Memorial Day, members of the US Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City responded to a distress call off the Jersey shore instead of conducting a planned Fleet Week search and rescue demonstration. A radio transmission sounding like "Help" prompted the operation, although no additional evidence of distress was found. This incident underscores the busy nature of Memorial Day, when many boaters resume activities after winter, often leading to issues like fuel shortages or boat malfunctions.
"Any sign that there could be potential distress, that's enough for us to launch [a search and rescue operation] and go search."
"On Memorial Day weekend, there's more than a 50% chance that they are going to get diverted."
"A lot of people's boats have been up [out of the water] for the winter, and now they finally want to get out."
"Sometimes they don't take enough fuel, or forget to check the electronics: it could be a number of things."
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