Coast Guard boat flips during rescue; crew swims to safety

NEW YORK – As water temperatures teetered just above the freezing mark early Thursday morning, emergency responders performed a dramatic rescue after a fishing boat carrying seven men ran aground off New York City.

It was around 2 a.m. when the Coast Guard received a distress call from the Carolina Queen III. The crew of the fishing boat was taking on water. Its crew was able to get that under control when the scallop fishing vessel ran aground near the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens.

Waves between 10 and 12 feet were surging against the side of the boat, rocking it violently, when an orange Coast Guard helicopter, dispatched from Atlantic City, New Jersey, began buzzing overhead and lowered ropes to pluck the fishermen from the trawler.

The fishermen, who arrived at the shore with rescue blankets draped around their shoulders, were led to waiting ambulances and then taken to a hospital for observation.

During the rescue, a 25-foot Coast Guard vessel flipped over. Five Coast Guard crew members, wearing protective gear, swam ashore, spokeswoman Ali Flockerzi said. The capsized Coast Guard boat eventually drifted to shore and was secured.

The National Weather Service had issued a marine weather warning Wednesday night that advised of high-speed winds and approaching thunderstorms. The water temperature in the area was around 37 degrees, according to data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.