Ships rush to rescue fishermen from sinking vessel in Pacific Ocean, Coast Guard says

Nearby ships rescued the six-person crew of a commercial fishing vessel that sank in the Pacific Ocean about 550 miles off Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

The 52-foot ship sent out a distress call at about 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The crew reported 5 to 7 feet of water in the engine room and hold of the disabled vessel.

With no power, the water could not be pumped out and was rising rapidly, the release said.

“Anytime you get word that a crew is preparing to abandon ship, you immediately become worried about the time required to reach the survivors,” said Cmdr. Marc McDonnell, operations officer for Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

The Coast Guard authorized the crew of the Sea Smile to activate an emergency beacon and requested help from nearby vessels, the release said.

A Coast Guard cargo plane dropped life rafts and other supplies to the crew after it abandoned ship, and at about midnight another commercial fishing boat picked them up.

Another vessel arrived to take the rescued crew to Hawaii, the Coast Guard said.

This story was originally published March 5, 2023 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Ships rush to rescue fishermen from sinking vessel in Pacific Ocean, Coast Guard says."