NEAH BAY — The Coast Guard rescued 10 people aboard a vessel that was taking on water 25 miles southwest of Neah Bay on Thursday.
The crews aboard the Coast Guard cutter Wahoo and a 47-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB) from Station Neah Bay rescued four minors and six adults and escorted the vessel to Neah Bay with no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said in a press release.
The Coast Guard did not release the names of those on the boat.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound responded to a distress call at 10:15 a.m. from the 33-foot recreational vessel Doesn’t Matter.
The source of the water was later found to be a wash-down hose clamp which had broken off.
All 10 people aboard reportedly donned life jackets. The master of the vessel tried to reduce the flooding by engaging the engine and remaining in motion but the engine failed and the bilge pumps were unable to handle the rate at which water was flowing into the boat, the Coast Guard said.
Sector Puget Sound watchstanders diverted the Wahoo from a routine patrol in the area and launched a crew aboard a 47-foot MLB.
They also directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and diverted another Dolphin helicopter from Sector Field Office/Air Station Port Angeles.
A search-and-assist team on the Wahoo deployed a dewatering pump to keep the vessel from sinking.
The small-boat crew was able to transfer eight passengers back to the Wahoo for safety, while two adults stayed behind to assist the team members as they worked to locate and secure the source of the flooding.
The hose was secured and the engine power restored.
The Wahoo escorted the vessel, under its own power, back to Neah Bay.
No environmental contamination was reported.
