Coast Guard Responds to Two Incidents Off Nantucket

NANTUCKET — Coast Guard crews responded to two separate incidents off the coast of Nantucket that were reported just ten minutes apart on Thursday morning.

Rescue crews successfully airlifted a 47-year-old fisherman from his boat for medical treatment and responded to a different fishing vessel taking on water off the eastern shore of the island yesterday.

A release from the Coast Guard First District Northeast noted that at 10:30 a.m., Coast Guard crews received notice from fishing vessel Donny C that the boat was taking on water around 110 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket.

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Two water-removal pumps were not keeping up with the flooding and the fishermen were preparing to abandon ship.

Crews launched two helicopters, a Jayhawk and an Ocean Sentry, from Air Station Cape Cod to rescue the mariners.

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and two other fishing vessels, Blue Wave and Temptress, also responded to assist.

Just ten minutes later, at 10:40 a.m., the Coast Guard was notified that a fisherman aboard the Andrea A was experiencing a loss of feeling and mobility in his legs.

A Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended a medevac due to concerns that the man's condition could worsen if untreated.

The Jayhawk helicopter diverted from the Donny C to the Andrea A to pick up the fisherman, successfully hoisting him from the boat and taking him back to base, where he was treated by EMS.

Meanwhile the Donny C was able to control the flooding with an extra pump provided by the Temptress fishing vessel and headed to New Bedford.

The ship was escorted by the cutter Escanaba until crews secured the source of flooding, and communication was maintained until the Donny C was safely back to port.

Captain Wes Hester, chief of incident management for the First Coast Guard District, called the situation an "outstanding example" of how Coast Guard crews work together to respond to calls for help at sea.

“The ability of watchstanders in Boston and in Woods Hole to assess the situation, recognize the proximity of Escanaba and divert the aircraft resulted in both cases concluding in positive outcomes,” he said.