Coast Guard: 2 rescued off coast 8 hours after fishing boat capsized
2 rescued off Oregon coast 8 hours after fishing boat capsized
By KPTV Staff
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ASTORIA, Oregon (KPTV) — Two men were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their boat capsized Wednesday night off the coast of southern Oregon, according to the Coast Guard.
At about 7:30 p.m., a woman reported that her husband, the captain of a 26-foot commercial fishing vessel, had not returned to the marina when he said he would. She her husband was last heard from around 3 p.m.
The Coast Guard sent rescue crews to the area by lifeboat and helicopter and contacted local police, who confirmed the missing man’s truck and boat trailer were still parked at the boat ramp.
Using cell phone tracking, rescuers established a viable search area off the coast of Nesika Beach.
Just after 11 p.m., the helicopter crew found the fishing boat with the missing men sitting on the overturned hull and were able to direct the lifeboat crew to where they were.
The lifeboat reached the men at 11:30 p.m. and got them both to safety.
Neither man was wearing a life jacket and both showed signs of hypothermia. The crew gave them blankets and water aboard the lifeboat. When they reached the shore around 2 a.m., they were checked by waiting medical responders.
The Coast Guard said the men spent nearly eight hours sitting on top of the hull of the vessel.
Lt. Michael Jeffko, Command Duty Officer for Sector Columbia River, said the rescue shows the importance of telling a friend or family member who is staying on shore when to expect you back.
“With the excellent search planning and coordination between our watchstanders in the command center and the rescue crews at Station Chetco River and Air Station North Bend, we had a successful outcome,” Jeffko said. “Our crews train for these incidents and their flawless execution resulted in two lives saved.”
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