The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 12 people today aboard a 160-foot vessel taking on water near Port Mansfield.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 12 people today aboard a 160-foot vessel taking on water near Port Mansfield.
The Coast Guard says it received a call at 3:40 a.m. that the commercial diving vessel Gulf Justice was taking on water. Two Coast Guard helicopters flew to the offshore supply ship after plans to get a tugboat to tow the vessel did not work.
The choppers arrived at 1 p.m. and hoisted seven people from the Gulf Justice and transferred them to Charles R. Johnson Airport in Port Mansfield. The helicopters returned at 2 p.m. to rescue the other five.
“The Coast Guard was relieved to rescue these 12 people before Hurricane Harvey impacted the rescue efforts, making a bad situation worse,” said Capt. Tony Hahn, commander, Sector Corpus Christi. “ Our crews did a fantastic job collaborating on this rescue.”
All 12 people were reported in stable condition with no injuries.
