The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four fishermen Monday afternoon from a sinking boat five miles off South Padre Island.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four fishermen Monday afternoon from a sinking boat five miles off South Padre Island.
At 6:20 p.m. Monday, the captain of the Ben & Casey radioed Coast Guard crews because the vessel was taking on water. Authorities arrived 20 minutes later and provided the Ben & Casey’s crew with pumps to try and remove water from the boat, authorities reported.
After a helicopter arrived with another pump, the fishermen and first responders abandoned the Ben & Casey to the U.S. Coast Guard response boat because the pumps could not keep up with the flooding due to the debris, according to a press release.
Twenty minutes later, after the Coast Guard Cutter Alligator arrived on scene, another attempt was made to stop flooding on the Ben & Casey. The fishing boats sister ship, Blood & Guts, arrived on scene to tow the vessel, but later broke tow, letting the Ben & Casey sink, authorities reported.
The Cutter Alligator stayed on scene overnight and began inspection and debris recovery this morning, according to a press release.
