Coast Guard assists flooded vessel near Isle of Shoals, Maine

BOSTON — Coast Guard rescue crews assisted a fishing crew aboard a flooding boat 40 miles east of Isle of Shoals, Maine, Sunday.  Watchstanders at the Sector Northern New England Command Center in Portland, Maine received a call at approximately 5:05 a.m. via VHF radio from the crew aboard the Two Megs reporting their engine room was flooded.  Rescue crews aboard a MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter and a HC-144 Ocean Sentry Aircraft were launched from Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A good Samaritan aboard the fishing vessel the Rachel T also arrived on scene to help.  The helicopter crews arrived on scene at 6:39 a.m. and dropped pumps to the flooded fishing vessel. The Two Megs crew reported they found flooding source, secured it, and began pumping the water out.  The Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle is en-route to ensure the Two Megs and crew can arrive safely to port in Boston, Massachusetts.  "This was a multi-asset response - many teams working together to ensure the crew makes it home,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Kiener, the operations unit coordinator at the Sector Northern New England Command Center. He said in addition to the Coast Guard’s effort, the assistance from the Rachel T is a reminder of how close-knit the local fishing community is.