Office of Public Affairs
13th Coast Guard District

Date: Sept. 15, 2009
Contact: Petty Officer David R. Marin
(206) 220-7237

Coast Guard, Navy rescue two from sunken vessel off Wash. coast
-Photos Available-

SEATTLE — A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash., brings aboard two men and their life raft after their vessel sank.  The Coast Guard responded to a sunken fishing vessel approximately 20 miles off Cape of Alava, near Ozette, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.  U.S. Coast Guard photo.

SEATTLE — A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash., brings aboard two men and their life raft after their vessel sank.  The Coast Guard responded to a sunken fishing vessel approximately 20 miles off Cape of Alava, near Ozette, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.  U.S. Coast Guard photo.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard rescued two men after their fishing vessel sank approximately 20 miles off Cape of Alava, near Ozette, Wash., Tuesday.

At 12:53 p.m. the Canadian Coast Guard in Tofino, Canada, received a call from a crewman aboard the 34-foot wooden-hull fishing vessel Moonbeam reporting that the vessel was taking on water and that he and another crewmember were going to abandon ship.

The Canadian Coast Guard was able to pinpoint the location of the call and connected it to Coast Guard Sector Port Angeles, Wash.

The two crewmembers aboard the Moonbeam reported that they were donning their survival suits and were abandoning ship into their life raft.

A Navy P3 Orion airplane was in the area and after locating the crew remained on scene until Coast Guard assets arrived.

Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles launched an HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew.  Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash., and Coast Guard Station Neah Bay, Wash., both launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew to assist.

Coast Guard units arrived on scene and were able to take the men and their life raft aboard the motor lifeboat and are headed to Quillayute River.

The vessel sank in approximately 600-feet of water in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.  Sanctuary officials were notified of the sinking.

The crew reported having approximately 60 gallons of diesel fuel aboard.  There was no visible pollution.

There were no reports of injuries.

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