Coast Guard rescues boat crew

CORPUS CHRISTI — A Coast Guard crew assisted a sinking fishing boat about 20 miles east of Port Isabel early Monday.

A sailor on duty at the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi headquarters received a mayday call by radio from the captain of the fishing boat “Ivy” at 3:30 a.m., reporting that the vessel was sinking, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Coast Guard Station South Padre Island dispatched a rescue boat crew and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi launched an HU-25 Falcon jet crew to assist.

The jet crew was forced to turn back due to a heavy lightning storm, but the rescue boat was able to reach the Ivy, the Coast Guard said.

When the rescue boat arrived at the Ivy, it found more than four feet of water in the engine room, the Coast Guard said.

The rescue boat crew passed a de-watering pump to the Ivy and, with the help of the crew, were able to control the flooding in the boat, preventing it from sinking.

The rescue boat crew started escorting the Ivy to port in Brownsville, but the fishing boat was unable to continue due to excess flooding, the Coast Guard said.

Another fishing boat from the same company arrived and took the Ivy into tow; the rescue boat crew remained with the fishing boat in case of emergencies and followed it in to port, the Coast Guard said.

The fishing boats are both make their home port in Brownsville, the Coast Guard said. No injuries were reported.