Thursday, March 28, 2024

Two people rescued from sinking boat off Wilmington coast

A crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Wrightsville Beach helped rescue two people from a sinking boat. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard.
A crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Wrightsville Beach helped rescue two people from a sinking boat. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard.

Two people aboard a sinking ship were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard crews off the coast of Wilmington on Sunday.

The Coast Guard station in Wilmington received a distress call from two people aboard the 50-foot pleasure craft Ticker Tape VI at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday, according to a notice from the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel was reportedly disabled and taking on water about 14 miles southeast of Wilmington.

A crew aboard a 45-foot response boat launched from the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Wrightsville Beach and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Elizabeth City.

The crew arrived on scene at about 1 a.m. Sunday and rescued the two people from the sinking vessel. The rescued were taken to back to the Coast Guard station in Wrightsville Beach, while the flooded vessel was left adrift with the navigation lights on.

No injuries were reported. The owner of the 50-foot boat plans to contact a salvage company to attempt to retrieve the vessel.

Related Articles