A Coast Guard boat crew rescued three fishermen after their vessel took on water and sank less than one mile outside of Grays Harbor, Washington.
The 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor transported the fishermen to shore, where emergency medical services personnel evaluated one of them for a reported heart condition.
The crew of the 74-foot fishing vessel Privateer called Station Grays Harbor watchstanders via VHF radio stating they were taking on water through an 8-to-12-inch hole, deploying their life raft and donning immersion suits preparing to abandon ship.
After arriving on scene, the MLB crew attempted to use dewatering pumps on the boat but could not keep up with flooding. The boat crew made the advisement to abandon ship and pulled all three fishermen off the sinking vessel.
Coast Guard pollution responders with Incident Managment Division Astoria subsequently waited for low tide to assess the best course of action for cleanup of the 74-foot Privateer that washed ashore.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the cause of the incident was still unknown.