Five men were rescued on Monday from an unmanned platform about 40 miles southeast of the Texas/Louisiana border, after their fishing boat began taking on water.
The men made it to the unmanned platform and one man was able to call the U.S. Coast Guard for help at about 10:45 a.m., on Monday. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston watchstanders sent a 45-foot response boat and crew from Coast Guard Station Sabine Pass, but the weather conditions didn’t allow for them to safely get the men aboard from the rig. In order to recover the men before potentially severe weather moved in, two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters were sent from Coast Guard Air Station Houston to get the men to safety.
“They were out there in the elements and had no way of getting back. They didn’t have any food and a limited amount of hydration,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Maddox, one of the watchstanders working the case. “It was important to get the individuals off the rig because the approaching front would have put them in immediate danger.”
The boat was mostly submerged when Coast Guard crews arrived, but was recovered later by a passing tug.
[mappress] Press Release, June 11, 2014; Image: USCG