Four rescued from sinking fishing boat following collision off Rhode Island

The US Coast Guard rescued four people from a fishing boat after a collision between two fishing boats occurred approximately 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Block Island, Rhode Island on Thursday, January 23.

Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a distress call via VHF-FM channel 16 of two fishing boats colliding at approximately 20:30 local time on Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and dispatched crews aboard a Coast Guard Station Montauk 47-foot (14-metre) motor life boat (MLB) and a Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to assist.

The 87-foot (27-metre) scalloper Vanquish reported six people aboard, no damage and no injuries. Meanwhile, the 55-foot (17-metre) trawler Mattie and Maren II reported four people aboard, flooding in the engine room and that they were unable to keep up with dewatering efforts.

It was reported all crew members aboard Mattie and Maren II donned survival suits and prepared an EPIRB and liferaft in case abandoning ship became necessary.

Station Montauk’s MLB crew arrived on scene at approximately 21:15. A crewmember from Station Montauk embarked the fishing vessel Mattie and Maren II with a dewatering pump to attempt and assist in dewatering efforts, but was unsuccessful due to deteriorating weather with four-to-six-foot (1.2- to 1.8-metre) seas and 23 mile per hour (20-knot) winds.

All four passengers aboard Mattie and Maren II were transferred to the Coast Guard MLB and taken to Station Montauk with no reported injuries. Vanquish meanwhile returned to its home port in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Sector Long Island Sound has issued a safety marine information broadcast for the vessel adrift. The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.