Coast Guard aircrews stand with two crewmembers of a vessel that sank 37 miles off Barnegat Light, New Jersey, Jul. 27, 2020. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. — The Coast Guard rescued two men 33 miles east of Barnegat Light early Tuesday morning.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay were notified at 5:30 a.m. via Channel 16 that a 68-foot fishing vessel had begun taking on water and its crew requested assistance. They informed the watchstanders that they had begun to make preparations to abandon ship into a life raft.
A Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was launched along with the Coast Guard Cutter Angela McShan to assist the crew members of the sinking vessel.
The debris field was located and the crew was found nearby in their life raft after they set off a flare to highlight their position to Coast Guard crews.
“The crew’s use of their emergency equipment helped Coast Guard search crews locate them quickly and prevent loss of life today,” said David Umberger, command duty officer at Sector Delaware Bay. “The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to properly register EPIRB devices to their vessels to aid search efforts during emergencies.”
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