Coast Guard pulls fishing boat, crew safely into LaPush
Published 12:01 am Friday, January 4, 2013
LAPUSH — A 40-foot fishing vessel on the hunt for Dungeness crab ran aground 3 miles north of the Quillayute River mouth early Thursday morning before being pulled to safety by the Coast Guard — with help from a helicopter spotlight.
No injuries were reported, Coast Guard spokesman Nathan Bradshaw said.
The crew of the Jayden Ray issued a mayday call at 2:20 a.m. Thursday after their vessel washed up on rocks, and they could not deploy the anchor, Bradshaw said.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles and a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Quillayute River in LaPush raced to the scene.
Spotlight guide
The helicopter shined a spotlight to help the lifeboat crew navigate through the rocks. The lifeboat crew then threw a tow line to secure the fishing vessel at about 3:30 a.m.
The vessel and its crew members were towed back to LaPush, where they are based, Bradshaw said.
There were no reports of pollution from the grounded vessel.
The incident is under investigation.
