~Fisherman Airlifted Off N.J. Coast
~3 FISHERMEN RESCUED 45 MINUTES AFTER BOAT SINKS
~U.S. COAST GUARD RESCUES 3 FISHERMEN
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Fisherman Airlifted Off N.J. Coast
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.- A fisherman was airlifted this morning from a fishing vessel 80-miles off the Manasquan N.J. coast by a Coast Guard rescue crew and helicopter after a report of a fisherman in distress.
Coast Guard Group-Air Station Atlantic City received a report from the Fishing Vessel Prospector, a Scalloper homeported in Sconington, Conn., that a 50-year old fisherman was having difficulty breathing. After briefing a Coast Guard Flight Surgeon it was recommended that a Medical Evacuation be conducted. After launching one rescue helicopter, a second Coast Guard helicopter airborne on a previous mission joined in the rescue.
The fisherman was taken to Bader Field in Atlantic City and met by awaiting paramedics for transport to Atlantic City Medical-Trauma Center.
3 FISHERMEN RESCUED 45 MINUTES AFTER BOAT SINKS
Fisherman found still clutching emergency radio signal device
MIAMI – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Thetis rescued three shrimp fishermen this morning at about 8:00 from the fishing vessel Dona Nelly after being in the water for 45 minutes when their vessel sank 15 miles off the coast of Brownsville, Texas.
The Thetis, a 270-foot cutter, was patrolling off the coast of Texas when it received word that a shipboard distress signal had been activated in the area. When crew of the Thetis arrived on scene, they found a debris field more than a mile in diameter filled with diesel fuel and the remnants of the fishing vessel. The three crewmembers were found huddled together, hanging onto the hatch of a fish hold.
The three fishermen, aged 53, 23, and 20 were recovered with minor injuries and were treated for shock. The cause of the vessel’s sinking is unknown, but the master of the vessel reported the vessel’s bilge alarm sounded at 5:00 that morning, and he and his crew fought the progressive flooding for more than two hours before they were forced to abandon ship.
When the crew of the Thetis came upon them, one of the crewmembers still had the emergency position indicating radio beacon (the ship board distress signal) clutched in his hands.
“It’s a lucky thing the Dona Nelly was equipped with proper lifesaving equipment, including an EPIRB because it would have been much harder to find them otherwise,” said Lt. Tony Russell, public affairs officer for the Seventh Coast Guard District.
The Thetis is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Fla.
U.S. COAST GUARD RESCUES 3 FISHERMEN
HOUSTON — A rescue crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis rescued three fishermen from the fishing boat Dona Nelly this morning after their boat sank approximately 15 miles east of Port Isabel, Texas.
The Thetis’ crew was on a law enforcement patrol off the coast of Texas when they received a report from Coast Guard Group Corpus Christi, Texas, that a shipboard distress signal (EPIRB) had been activated in the area. When Thetis arrived onscene at 7:55 a.m., the crew found a debris field more than a mile in diameter along with diesel fuel sheen. The fishermen were found huddled together hanging onto the hatch of a fish hold. One fisherman had the EPIRB clutched in his hands.
“It is a lucky thing that the Dona Nelly was equipped with proper lifesaving equipment including an EPIRB as it would have been nearly impossible to find them otherwise,” said Lt. j.g. Andrew Collinson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard.
The fishermen, Herberto Garcia, 53, of Brownsville, Texas, Jesus Aranda, 23, of Tampico, Mexico and Juan Avila, 20, of Mission, Texas, were found to have minor injuries and treated for shock. The master of the boat reported that the bilge alarm sounded at 5 a.m., and that he and his crew fought progressive flooding for more than two hours before they were forced to abandon ship.
The fishermen were transferred to a rescue boat from Coast Guard Station South Padre Island and are being taken to awaiting EMS in Port Isabel.
The Thetis is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Fla. The Dona Nelly was a 66-foot fishing boat homeported in Brownsville, Texas.
The cause of the boat’s sinking is under investigation.