BOSTON — A Coast Guard crew responded to a fishing vessel trapped in ice in Quicks Hole Passage, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Friday.At about 10 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England were notified that the 69-foot fishing vessel Misty Blue was stuck in ice north of the passage.A Coast Guard aids to navigation team from Woods Hole launched a 49-foot Stern Loading Buoy Boat to break the vessel and its three-person crew free. At about 11:30 a.m., they broke the Misty Blue out of the ice and escorted them out to sea where they continued their voyage. “Our crew is prepared to respond to any scenario," said Chief Petty Officer Elijah Reynolds, officer in charge of Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Woods Hole. "Today’s case illustrates how diverse our aids to navigation team's response capabilities are."
The Coast Guard's domestic icebreaking operations are intended to facilitate navigation within reasonable demands of commerce and minimize waterways closures during the winter, while enabling commercial vessels to transit through ice-covered critical channels.