Five Coast Guard officers sent to rescue the crew of a fishing boat faced their own emergency early Thursday when their vessel capsized in treacherous conditions off the Rockaways, officials said.
The tables were turned on the Guardsmen as they tried to save a 76-foot scallop trawler from Virginia that was being hammered by 10-to-12-foot waves and taking on water near the East Rockaway Inlet, according to officials.
The commercial fishing vessel — dubbed the Carolina Queen III — had been searching for sea scallops in the mid-Atlantic region just south of Long Island, which would have been on the plates of New Yorkers if it wasn’t for the bad weather.
Fighting gale-force winds and heavy rain, the Coast Guard’s 25-foot, twin-engine response boat was dispatched from Station Jones Beach to rescue the seven man crew after receiving an urgent distress call at about 2 a.m. saying they were having mechanical issues and had lost power.
But as the Coast Guard members tried to save the fishing vessel, which eventually ran aground, the powerful surf proved to be too much for them — and their boat overturned at about 4:45 a.m. near the Silver Point Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, officials said.
The five Guardsmen swam to shore near Beach 19th Street and were examined by Emergency Medical Services, but no injuries were reported.
With the fisherman still stranded, authorities dispatched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City to finish the job.
“Nothing about this really was routine,” explained FDNY Fire Chief, George Healy. “The US Coast Guard even had some difficulty getting to the scene and ultimately had to use their aircraft to lift the crew from the boat to shore — so this was less than routine.”
After being plucked from the ship, the fisherman were airlifted to Jamaica Hospital, where they were visited by a pair of investigation officers from the Coast Guard. While they were cold and shaken up, no injuries were reported.
“I am here handling the commercial side of the investigation,” said Coast Guard Lt. William Stewart, as he walked into the hospital. “I’m on the fact finding stage of the investigation I’m just going to ask the basic questions…Get a determination of what they were doing at the time leading up to the incident and then the incident itself and then after the incident.”
But Stewart made it clear that officials believed weather was the main cause of the incident.
“It would be speculation, (but) I can’t rule it out at this point.”
The Seaford Scallop Company, which owns and operates the Carolina Queen III, refused to answer any questions about the rescue mission.
Patricia Fiorelli, public affairs officer for the New England Fishery Management Council, told The Post that the boat trawled in the mid-Atlantic region, as well as Georges Bank.
Officials said it was ultimately “pushed to shore” by the heavy waves and strong currents after losing engine power.
Fiorelli added that the average wholesale price for sea scallops currently ranged between $12 and $15 a pound, depending on size and quality.
Robert Vanasse, executive director of “Saving Seafood,” which is an advocacy group for the domestic seafood industry, said the underwater treats that were being caught by the Carolina Queen III would have eventually been gobbled up by New Yorkers.
“I’m not sure where they would be sold, but there is no question that those scallops would have made it to the finest markets and restaurants in New York City,” he said.
Drew Minkiewicz, attorney for Fisheries Survival Fund, an organization that represents the Scallop industry, said Virginia represents about 20% of the U.S. harvest and that scallops landed there could “definitely” be found in the Big Apple.
Salvage plans are now underway to remove both the Carolina Queen III and the Coast Guard response boat.
“We are going to keep an eye on the vessel all night,” said Lt. Matt Richards, who works for Coast Guard’s Incident Management Division. “A big concern is the potential for pollution. Right now, it’s in good condition and there is no active discharge.”
The maritime mishap occurred shortly after a massive storm unleashed heavy rain and 34-mile-per-hour winds across the Rockaways, which were under a gale warning Wednesday night.
“This was a very treacherous operation,” Chief Healy said. “FDNY had some marine resources coming, and because of the conditions, we actually had to turn them back for their safety. A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer went in the water and he couldn’t even handle the conditions.”