Fishermen Rescued After Abandoning Burning Boat Off Nantucket

Three fishermen were rescued off Nantucket early Wednesday morning after they abandoned their burning vessel approximately 25 nautical miles southwest of the island.

The three crew members of the Hadley Ruth, a 65-foot fishing vessel, issued a distress call around 3:55 a.m., reporting that the boat was on fire and that they were abandoning ship.

Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England responded by dispatching a MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, as well as a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Brant Point on Nantucket. While the Coast Guard helicopter was en route to the last known position of the Hadley Ruth, another fishing vessel that happened to be in the area, the Lightning Bay, responded to the situation and located the three crew members of the Hadley Ruth in a life raft.

The crew of the Hadley Ruth was "confirmed found, safe, with no medical concerns," Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England stated in a press release.

The Lightning Bay was less than a mile away from the Hadley Ruth when its crew heard the distress call.

“The last thing we heard was them yelling into ‘Mayday,’” the Lightning Bay's captain Ryan Roberts told WJAR. "They were holding onto the main wire so they didn’t lose the boat. We could see their heat curb blinking, and their life raft actually deployed upside down. So, they were sitting on top of the life raft, and it was a little sketchy trying to get them up...We just brought them all in and got them dry, gave them some dry clothes and cut them out of the survival suits."

The rescue at sea by the fishing vessel was hailed by the Coast Guard later that day. 

"The exceptional and rapid response conducted by the CFV Lightning Bay is an example of how the maritime community comes together in times of crisis at sea, and emphasizes how important life-saving and communications equipment can be in saving lives," said Commander Clifton Graham, SAR Mission Coordinator.

The three fishermen were returned to Point Judith, Rhode Island, according to Coast Guard Station Brant Point master chief John Lowell. He added that the Lightning Bay had rescued the three fishermen before his crew had even gotten underway from Nantucket Harbor.

The Coast Guard is conducting an overflight to spot potential pollution and protect the maritime environment.