3 Fishermen Rescued From Sinking Vessel Off Coast Of Montauk

MONTAUK, NY —Three fishermen were rescued from a sinking vessel off the coast of Montauk Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The vessel was located 72 nautical miles southeast of Montauk Sunday at 9:30 p.m. after the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound said they received a VHF radio call from the crew aboard the 44-foot commercial fishing boat 'Nite Nurse." The crew reported that the vessel was taking on water and sinking, the USCG said.

The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast and dispatched a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, a HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew, and Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher to the scene, officials said.

(US Coast Guard video)

The Nite Nurse crew was told to don life jackets and ensure they had an emergency position-indicating radio beacon with them prior to abandoning ship into their life raft, the USCG said.

Next, the helicopter crew arrived and located the life raft and all three fishermen were safely hoisted into the helicopter and transported to Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, where emergency medical services personnel were waiting.

“This case was a success because these mariners did everything professional mariners should do to be found,” said Lt. Banning Lobmeyer, the HC-144 ocean sentry pilot who flew on the case. “They reported the problem early which led to a quicker response time from our crews. They stayed with their boat as long as possible before getting into their life raft, took and used flares and an EPIRB, and they were dressed appropriately in survival suits.”