No one was injured Saturday when a commercial fishing vessel off St. George on the midcoast started taking on water.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Molly Edwards said the call came in at 11:40 a.m. The boat was two hours from port and requested assistance. A Coast Guard crew from Rockland, along with the Maine Marine Patrol, helped get the 40-foot vessel and its three crew members to Tenants Harbor by 2:30 p.m. Edwards declined to identify the boat in question because the matter is still under investigation.
“They were able to moor safely,” she said. “Happy ending for all.”
When a vessel is moving quickly, the flow of incoming water can be controlled, Edwards said. For most of the journey, the Coast Guard only needed to stay at the vessel’s side as an escort. When it got closer to shore and needed to slow down, the Coast Guard crew transferred a pump to the vessel and helped remove water until it reached the marina.
Edwards said another commercial fishing boat called Parts Unknown heard the boat’s call for help. It pulled up to the distressed vessel and stayed there until help arrived. Edwards credited that other crew, calling the boat “a good Samaritan.”
“It’s a close network even though they are competing against each other for fish,” Edwards said. “They did a good deed.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
