50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard rescued
 

Document Number: 990

Fifth District
U.S. Coast Guard
Press Release
Date: Sept. 25, 2006
Contact: Petty Officer Larry Chambers
(757) 398-6269
COAST GUARD RESCUES SEVEN AFTER OVERNIGHT SEARCH;
Video of rescue and interviews with helo crew available
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Seven men were rescued from a life raft today after they were spotted by a Coast Guard helicopter.

The Coast Guard searched through the night and into the morning for the men on a fishing boat that left out of Indian River Inlet, Del., on Friday. A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., transported the men from the raft to the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma. They all appeared to be in good health.

The 50-foot fishing boat, The Chief, was reported missing at about noon Sunday.

The crew reported that they hit a large black object about 30 miles out while en route to the inlet at about noon on Saturday. The master and three crewmembers heard a loud bang at the back of the vessel, and found water nearly filling the engine room. They began dewatering with pumps, but those quit as the generator failed.

Three minutes later they abandoned ship and it sank.

A Coast Guard helicopter, a C-130 airplane and the Tahoma searched a 10,000 square mile area about 70 miles east of Indian River Inlet. The men were found about 70 miles east of the inlet.

Media note:
Video of the rescue and interviews with the helicopter crew are available at Air Station Atlantic City. Media interested should contact (609) 677-2036 and arrive at the FAA Technical Center's visitor center at 1:45 p.m.

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Heres a link to what everyone is saying. *Glad all are okay. *

http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72073

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

:o :o :o :o :o :o :o

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

I Know the Chief. It use to be dry docked here in Lewes.
Glad that everyone is ok.

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

:o

What do you think they hit??

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

Everywhere I've read it says they hit a large black object...
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/medi...s_CRW_6240.jpg

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

Heard Cape May C.G. only recieved one becon signal before the battery went dead. Why didnt they send out an S.O.S. ?? 48 hours in the water!!.

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

They had no time to do anything other than grab life jackets. Captain accidently dropped the epirb into the lifejacket well trying not to go down with the ship. Boat sank in all of 3 minutes. They were lucky to get out. The flare and the raft saved them.

Re: 50 ft Sportfisher Sunk in NJ All 7 aboard resc
 

We were comin' back into Charleston one afternoon and went by a free-floating barge filled w/ scrap-metal(looked like rails from old RR track stickin' out in all directions)...relatively small and low to water, but substantial enough...would take down a 100'er if hit at cruise speed and too low to show up on radar...point is, there's no tellin' what's out there to be hit... ??? ...