USCG rescues three from liferaft 8 nm west of Cape Blanco

The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued three fishermen from a liferaft 8 miles west of Cape Blanco at 1:15 p.m., Sunday. The three fishermen, reportedly uninjured, are aboard a Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat en route to Station Coos Bay, located in Charleston, after abandoning their fishing vessel when it started taking on water, the USCG said Friday in a news release.

Coast Guard watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a mayday call from the fishing vessel McCalis, homeported in Charleston, over VHF-FM radio channel 16 at 11:54 a.m. The fishing crew reported their fishing vessel was taking on water through the fish hold and the dewatering pumps were not keeping up. The crew also announced their intention to abandon ship.

Sector North Bend directed the launch of 47-foot MLBs from search and rescue detachments Coquille River operated by Station Coos Bay personnel and Rogue River operated by personnel from Station Chetco River in Brookings. An aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Sector North Bend also launched to assist the fishermen. Both the aircrew and MLB crew from Coquille River arrived on scene at about the same time but with only about 300 feet of visibility due to fog, the boatcrew picked up the fishermen.

"The rescue was successful because of the quick notification via VHF-FM radio and a properly functioning liferaft aboard the fishing vessel, ," said Petty Officer 3rd Class KC Kline, operations specialist, Sector North Bend. "These types of situations are the reason commercial fishing vessels are required to be inspected by the Coast Guard."