A Coast Guard rescue swimmer carries gear to an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter before launching for a search-and-rescue case near Coos Bay, Ore., Jan. 26, 2016.
Two Dolphin helicopter crews and two 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crews rescued three men from the water in 12-to-14-foot seas after the 49-foot fishing vessel Sara Jo capsized on the Coos Bay bar.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Wes Jones.
WARRENTON, Ore — Coast Guard crews rescued three men from the water after the 49-foot fishing vessel Sara Jo became disabled and capsized on the Coos Bay bar Tuesday.
A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Coos Bay transferred two men to emergency medical services personnel, who took the men by ambulance to Bay Area hospital in Coos Bay, while an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend transported the other man directly to Bay Area Hospital due to medical concerns.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a VHF-radio call from the crew requesting Coast Guard assistance, followed by a distress notification from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon at approximately 4 p.m. Two 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crews and two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews launched at 4:12 p.m. and all survivors were rescued from the water by 4:30 p.m.
"The distress call from the fishermen and the EPIRB notification allowed for a quick and organized response," said Lt. Wes Jones, a helicopter pilot at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend. "Our crews responded extremely efficiently today, and we had all three men out of the water within 28 minutes."
The weather at the time of the rescue was reportedly an air temperature of 53 degrees with 12-to-14-foot swells and breakers of 14 to 16 feet at the Coos Bay bar.