A distressed commercial fisherman was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the early hours of Tuesday, June 28, 2020, near the entrance of the Columbia River.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a VHF-FM radio mayday call from a 37 -foot commercial fishing vessel located near Cape Disappointment. An urgent marine information broadcast was issued by watchstanders and the distressed mariner was instructed to light off flares and activate the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). A 47-foot motor lifeboat and crew from Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment and a Sector Columbia River MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew attended the rescue. The crew of Columbia River Bar Pilot boat ASTORIA also diverted to assist.
The Coast Guard arrived on the scene at approximately 2 a.m. and began a dewatering operation to slow the rate of flooding in the vessel. The distressed mariner entered the water, escaping the sinking vessel where he was recovered by the Coast Guard and transported to shore.
With offices in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, WA, BOATLAW, LLP has represented commercial fishermen for over forty years. The firm’s admiralty lawyers have a unique understanding of the dangers faced by these mariners.
