Coast Guard Rescues Boat Adrift Due to Fire
A a fishing boat from Hampton Bays had a fire in its engine room that left it disabled late Thursday, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to bring the vessel from 69 miles offshore to safety.
The crew of Rhonda Denise assisted the disabled Tradition, which was adrift, and contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Shinnecock at 11:30 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. The Tradition had communications errors due to the fire and the Rhonda Denise crew acted as Good Samaritans, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jetta Disco said.
Rhonda Denise tried to tow Tradition, but the towline broke and weather conditions prevented the crew from tying another line, the Coast Guard stated. Winds were blowing at 20 to 25 knots and seas were between 5 and 9 feet high.
An aircraft from Air Station Cape Cod responded to bring working communications equipment to Tradition. Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel, from Woods Hole, Massachesetts, and a Station Shinnecock crew towed the vessel back to the Shinnecock fishing pier.
“The coordination effort throughout the response for the disabled fishing vessel Tradition was paramount,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Morgan Gallapis, an operations unit watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound Command Center.
Between the initial distress call and mooring Tradition at the pier, 35 hours passed.