Lake Erie: USCG Assists Vessel Taking on Water

The U.S. Coast Guard assisted two people on Lake Erie Tuesday evening after their vessel began taking on water.

Just before 4:30 p.m., mariners aboard a 20-foot vessel notified Coast Guard Station Lorain, Ohio, that they were taking on water one mile north of Lorain Harbor.

Station Lorain issued an urgent marine information broadcast, which informs mariners of a distress situation and asks them to keep a sharp lookout, assist if possible, and report any sightings to the nearest Coast Guard unit.

A Station Lorain boat crew launched aboard a 45-foot response boat and arrived on scene three miles north of Lorain Harbor and found the vessel's engine was flooded and unable to be started.

The boat crew embarked the two people, began dewatering the vessel with a P-6 dewatering pump. They placed the vessel in a side-tow and took it to Hot Waters Marina in Lorain, where the vessel was removed from the water.

The source of the flooding was determined to be from a crack in the vessel's hull. No pollution or injuries were reported