Coast Guard Rescues 3 From Sinking Boat; Vessel Remains in Cape May Inlet

The Coast Guard rescued three people after the boat they were on began taking on water in Cape May Inlet on Wednesday night.

A 40-foot cabin cruiser began taking on water with three people aboard at about 8:30 p.m., the Coast Guard said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

Coast Guard Station Cape May launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew to assist. The boat crewmembers arrived on scene and pulled the survivors out of the water.

No injuries were reported. The men were not wearing life jackets.

“The entire evolution was very quick,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class Ryan Steglich, Station Cape May's officer of the day during the rescue, said. “We were preparing to get underway for night operations and training when we heard the distress call, and immediately launched the boat. Our crew arrived on scene and pulled the men out of the water in 11 minutes.”

Six of the 11 fuel drums that were on the boat when it began taking on water have been recovered.

Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay is leading a joint response with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s New Jersey office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to minimize pollution threats from the sunken vessel.

The boat remained submerged in the Cape May Inlet Thursday afternoon. The Coast Guard was using radio transmissions to alert mariners and responders.

The attached image was provided by the Coast Guard