Fishing Boat and Tug Collide, Three Rescued

The Coast Guard rescued three men Thursday following a collision five nm east of Cape May, New Jersey.

The USCG received a request for assistance from the 42-foot fishing boat Last Stand, reporting that she was sinking following a collision with the 78-foot pusher tug Dean Reinauer.

Coast Guard spokesman PA3 David Micallef said that the fishing vessel struck the Reinauer. An investigation into the cause of the incident continues. 

A response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May launched to assist the Last Stand. As the response boat arrived quickly on scene, the responders determined that the best way to rescue the crew would be to take them aboard the launch, rather than having the Reinauer act as the rescue vessel. The tug stood by in event that additional assistance was required, Micallef said.

"The crew of the fishing vessel Last Stand was extremely prepared and knowledgeable on their safety equipment and procedures,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Pappas of Station Cape May. “Their readiness allowed them to abandon ship within 10 minutes of the collision, including scrambling into their survival suits and then into their life raft. They saved their own lives."

The Last Stand sank following the collision. No injuries were reported. The names of the three men rescued from the fishing boat could not be released at present, Micallef siad. 

The Dean Reinauer, operated by Reinauer Transportation, is a 200 gt ATB pusher tug. A spokesman for Reinauer Transportation declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.