The Coast Guard responded to a ship in distress off the coast of Corpus Christi last month. A 65-foot long fishing vessel suffered hull fractures and was taking on water in the engine room. The Coast Guard's emergency response team began arriving at the scene of the boating accident within two hours of receiving the distress call from the ship's captain and consisted of vehicles included a helicopter and two separate vessels.

The Ella Deonna's hull was found to be compromised beyond immediate repair as the vessel was sitting 50 miles east of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard's helicopter carried the first emergency response team to arrive on the scene. They brought with them a dewatering pump so the Ella Deonna could begin to remove the steady influx of water in the engine room. No one on board the ship appears to have suffered a maritime injury as a result of the accident.

Ultimately, the boat was towed by the larger of the two Coast Guard ships back to safe harbor for necessary examination and repairs. The crew was very lucky this situation didn't take a turn for the worse before the Coast Guard arrived. The Coast Guard helicopter pilot who responded to the accident commented on how well prepared the crew of the ship was in this case. Their knowledge of safety tactics and preparedness with regard to emergency patching efforts allowed the boat to be towed to safety and possibly prevented serious injury or death as a result of the maritime accident.

Sources: United States Coast Guard News Release "Coast Guard responds to sinking vessel near Corpus Christi" 1/21/11