The small boat crew of Coast Guard Cutter Oak, a 225-foot buoy tender, comes along side the fishing vessel Jupiter, Thursday, May 11, 2017, north of Hyannis, Massachusetts. The captain of the Jupiter reported a fire in the engine room. (US Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi)
Two crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Oak battle a fire aboard the fishing vessel Juniper after their engine room caught fire in Nantucket Sound on May 11, 2017. The captain reported the fire over Ch. 16 at about 8:50 a.m., no injuries were reported. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
HYANNIS – Coast Guard crews saved two fishermen Thursday after their vessel’s engine room caught fire in Nantucket Sound.
The captain of the 41-foot fishing vessel Jupiter sent out a call for assistance over VHF Ch. 16 at about 8:50 a.m., and the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Oak, a 225-foot buoy tender answered their call for help. Simultaneously, a commercial aircraft informed the watchstanders at First Coast Guard District command center that they saw smoke coming from a fishing vessel.
Within five minutes, the Oak’s small boat crew launched and arrived on-scene with fire extinguishers to help the fishermen put out the fire.
A 42-foot boat crew from Station Chatham and a Hyannis Fire Boat crew arrived on scene to assist. The Fire Marshal inspected the vessel to make sure there was no chance of reflash, before the Chatham boat crew put the Jupiter in tow to bring back to Hyannis Harbor.
“While Aids-to-Navigation is our bread and butter, the Oak is a multi-mission platform,” said Lt. j. g. Stephen Nolan, the operations officer for the Oak. “It’s not everyday we have the opportunity to save lives.”
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Coast Guard Cutter Oak is a 225-foot Aids-to-Navigation buoy tender, homeported in Newport, Rhode Island. The crew services over 100 buoys in New England.
Update: The vessel was towed to Hyannis Harbor to the School Street docks by the Coast Guard along with the Hyannis fireboat. The fire appeared to flare up as the boat arrived at the docks. Hyannis firefighters with an engine were able to quickly knock down the fire. (photos below).
Photos by John P. Carroll/CWN
