The Coast Guard and a good samaritan vessel the Quinault rescued a crew of three from 48-foot fishing vessel Garda Marie taking on water Friday one mile north of Tatoosh Island near Cape Flattery. The Garda Marie sank.
The report came in at 1:15 a.m. Friday that the 48-foot commercial fishing vessel Garda Marie was taking on water. Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB), diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast and crew and directed the launch of air and boat crews from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay and Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles.
The good Samaritan vessel Quinault responded to the UMIB and arrived on scene within 20 minutes. The Quinault crew transferred all three from the Garda Marie to their vessel with no reported injuries.
A Coast Guard 47-foot motor lifeboat escorted the Quinault to shore, while a second 47-foot motor lifeboat crew reported finding a debris field and recovered an electronic position indicating radio beacon activated on the Garda Marie. The Garda Marie reportedly had approximately 400 gallons of diesel on board.
The cause of the sinking is unknown at this time. Could it have been equipment failure, or human error? An experienced attorney could determine if the crewmen whose lives were in danger in this case could possibly be due compensation.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Polyak, command duty officer for Sector Puget Sound said, “While the loss of the fishing vessel is unfortunate, given the dangerous conditions offshore, the quick response from all responding parties resulted in three lives saved.”