Brookings Coast Guard Rescues Fisherman as Boat Sinks

Station Chetco River boat crews rescued a fisherman from his vessel before it sank about two and a half miles west of the Chetco River entrance after unsuccessful dewatering attempts, today.

Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Bend and at the station were first notified around 10 a.m. when the fisherman requested assistance over VHF channel 16. He reported his 29-foot commercial fishing vessel, the Roni J, was flooding and the onboard dewatering pumps were unable to keep up with the rising water.

Two station boat crews launched in response, one crew aboard a 29-foot Response Boat-Small II and the other aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat.

Once on scene, a station member boarded the fishing vessel along with a portable dewatering pump. They were able to start the pump, but at one point the water shifted, forcing them to relocate, and they were unable to find a new spot before the water had risen too high.

(U.S. Coast Guard photos courtesy of Station Chetco River.)

The vessel sank in water with a depth of approximately 216 feet and with a max potential of 60 gallons of fuel aboard.

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