Disabled Fishing Vessel Rescued Off Nantucket

A disabled fishing vessel was brought in safely to shore early Monday by U.S. Coast Guard crews aboard the cutters Escanaba and Hammerhead.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England Command Center in Woods Hole, Mass. received a phone call from the captain of the vessel Challenger Sunday morning, stating a line had fouled their propeller, and they were disabled and adrift 70 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass. 

Search and rescue coordinators from the Sector Southeastern New England command center diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba and Hammerhead to assist. 

The crew of the Escanaba arrived on scene and took the vessel, loaded with 650 pounds of scallops, in a stern tow at 9:30 a.m., Sunday. Later, at about 1 p.m. the crew of the Hammerhead relieved the Escanaba and continued to bring the fishing vessel toward shore. 

At around 7:30 a.m., Monday, the crew of the Hammerhead handed off tow to a commercial tow company and the Challenge was brought to harbor in New Bedford, Mass. 

"We had a few different crews working together with the Challenge's crew to complete two different towing evolutions," said Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Richardson, the operations unit coordinator at Sector Southeastern New England. "Everyone worked very well together to get the crew and the catch back to port safely."