VIDEO: Coast Guard rescues the crew of a sinking fishing vessel
Posted at 14:41, Monday, November 21, 2022
- (US Coast Guard)
From the US Coast Guard 5th Mid-Atlantic District
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people who jumped from a sinking commercial fishing vessel Thursday about five miles off Engelhard, North Carolina, in Pamlico Bay.
Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchdogs received a call at about 2 a.m. from the 35-foot fishing vessel Heathers Breeze, which said they were taking on water.
Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet’s 47-foot motor lifeboat responded and put through a P-6 pump to assist with dewatering. The sailors were unable to operate the pump, so a Coast Guard officer boarded the vessel to assist. Once on board, the member explained how to prime the pump and then disembarked. After about ten minutes, the vessel began to sink and the two sailors abandoned ship.
Both members were pulled from the water with no injuries reported and taken to Hatteras Inlet Station.
“The maritime environment is often unpredictable, and preparedness is critical,” said Stephen Sawyer, Acting Officer, Sector North Carolina Command. “We recommend that commercial fishing vessels contact a local Coast Guard Commercial Fisheries Safety Expert for a comprehensive safety exam, have reliable means of communication and always wear a life jacket.”
