Coast Guard rescues four from disabled boat in Oregon Inlet

Crews from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet rescued three adults and one child after their 29-foot vessel became disabled and started taking on water one mile off of Oregon Inlet on Saturday afternoon.

Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received the initial notification from Dare County 911 dispatch at 11:44 a.m., and launched two 47-foot Motor Life Boat crews from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet to respond.

The impact from a breaking wave physically detached both engines, leaving the vessel without control in active seas.

“Our boat crew launched to the scene in an effort to recover the people on board given that the boat was in the surf zone and taking on water,” the Coast Guard said in a Facebook post. “The crew successfully relocated the vessel from the surf zone, however the water onboard continued to rise.”

One of the Coast Guard boatcrews transferred all four people onto their vessel and put the disabled boat into a stern tow.

The second boatcrew transferred a dewatering pump to personnel on the disabled boat to keep it afloat and pump the water out.

The Coast Guard then safely transported all four people and their vessel into Wanchese Harbor. No injuries were reported.