SEATTLE – Two people were recovered safely from a raft 24 miles off of La Push, Wash., after their 42-foot fishing vessel sank last night.
Coast Guard Group Port Angeles received a call at 8 p.m. from two people on board the 42-foot fishing vessel Andiamo reporting they were taking on water and their dewatering pumps were not keeping up. The two boarded their life raft and activated the vessel’s Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The EPIRB signaled the Coast Guard and registered the vessel’s exact location, while sinking, using the Global Positioning System.
A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Group/Air Station Astoria and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles were sent to assist.
Coast Guard Sector Seattle Vessel Traffic Services contacted Tofino Vessel Traffic Service to coordinate the diverting of any vessels in the area to assist.
The Tug Na Hoku responded, was the first on-scene and was able to recover both of the survivors.
The survivors were transferred to the Coast Guard’s 47-foot motor lifeboat where the crew determined the two were in good condition and did not need to be airlifted for a medical evacuation.
The vessel had 400 gallons of diesel fuel on board.The cause of the incident and possible environmental impact are being investigated.
