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NC Coast Guard Rescues 3 Trapped In Flooded Fishing Vessel, 2 Others Adrift

The missing man was found clinging to a hard-top canopy from the overturned boat.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Josh Evans, a boat crewman at Station Oregon Inlet in Nags Head, North Carolina, works the deck during a rescue, May 22, 2018. Pic. Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard District 5

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Five lives have been saved all thanks to rescuers with the North Carolina Coast Guard after two separate cries for help.

The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued three people Tuesday, aboard a fishing vessel that was taking in water off the Oregon Inlet.

A helicopter and a motor lifeboat crew went into action. Rescuers said a vital piece of equipment helped to save the fishermen and they used it at just the right time.

“A marine radio is more reliable than a cell phone and is a crucial piece of equipment for any mariner to have on their boat,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Travis Green.

In a separate rescue, the Coast Guard saved a man’s life Saturday after a search began on Friday for two missing fishermen.

The two men were expected to arrive at Bogue Inlet Friday night after a day of fishing. A crew with Emerald Isle located a capsized vessel that matched the description of the missing boat. They saw a man wearing a life jacket. He was rescued and treated for hypothermia.

Hours later around 4:40 a.m. a person walking the shoreline near Bogue Inlet heard someone crying for help. The missing man was found clinging to a hard-top canopy from the overturned boat. He was also treated for hypothermia.

"The fact that these boaters told someone they were going out and planned to be back at a certain time is what saved this man's life today," said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Alexander, command duty officer for Sector North Carolina.

"Wearing a life jacket exponentially increases the chances of survival in situations like this."

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