The U.S. Coast Guard rescued fifteen people on Monday after their 87-foot boat began to sink near Port Aransas, Texas.
The Coast Guard received a call at 9:25 a.m. on July 4, stating that a pleasure boat, known as Pensées, was taking on water and sinking near the Port Aransas Municipal Boat Marina, according to a news release.
Air Station Corpus Christi Command Center Watchstanders ordered the launch of a 45-foot response boat-medium crew from Coast Guard Station Port Aransas to assist.
The Coast Guard crew helped several passengers off the sinking vessel and began pumping water from the boat. Pensées eventually sank, despite efforts to clear the water.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The rescuers delivered those rescued from the pleasure boat to a nearby pier.
It is unclear what caused the boat to become filled with water.
The vessel’s owner will make arrangements for its retrieval from the water near the marina.
“Thanks to the attentiveness of these boaters and their use of a VHF-FM radio, our rescue crews were able to provide assistance before the situation worsened,” stated Joel Salgado-Castro, operations unit controller at Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. “Utilization of reliable communication equipment helps us rapidly detect and respond to emergencies.”