The 42 foot long fishing vessel Last Stand sank off Cape May, New Jersey. The Last Stand was heading back to port when it was struck by the 78 foot long Tug Dean Reinauer. The three crew on board scrambled into survival suits and abandoned into the vessel’s life raft. The vessel sank within minutes. A Coast Guard response boat arrived on scene and rescued the crew. No reports of injuries. The incident is under investigation.
On September 26, the 320 foot long ferry Delaware caught fire while berthed at Cape May, New Jersey. The fire started in the ferry’s engine room by an ember in one of the exhaust stacks. The night watch engineer discovered the fire and alerted local authorities. The local fire department along with Coast Guard fire boats were able to extinguish the fire within two hours. The two crew on board were able to escape blaze unharmed. There were no passengers on board at the time. The ferry serves a route across Delaware Bay between Cape May and Lewes, Delaware.
The fishing vessel Viking II sank near Cape May, New Jersey. The fishing vessel began to leak quickly overwhelming the vessel’s pumps. The crew requested assistance with the Coast Guard dispatching a helicopter to the scene. The helicopter lowered a dewatering pump to the Viking II. However, the pump could not keep up with the water ingress. A second pump was dropped to the vessel, but the crew was unable to recover it. A nearby fishing vessel arrived on scene and safely evacuated the three crew. The men were later transferred to a cutter who returned them to shore. No signs of pollution reported.
