A Coast Guard vessel flipped over early Thursday during a rescue near Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, spilling five crew members into the frigid waters.
The crew members were wearing protective gear and
swam ashore uninjured, The Associated Press reported. The subjects of the rescue operation, seven men on a fishing boat that ran aground, were rescued by helicopter. The 25-foot Coast Guard boat drifted to shore.
Waves had reached heights between 10 and 12 feet when the Coast Guard received a distress call from the fishing boat, Carolina Queen III, around 2 a.m., according to the AP. The 76-foot fishing vessel was taking on water.
A Coast Guard helicopter from Atlantic City was used to pull the fishermen one-by-one from the boat and take them to shore, about 200 feet away. They were wrapped in blankets and taken to the hospital, and
all are reported to be doing well, according to WABC-TV.
"They could've had some mechanical issues," Coast Guard Lieutenant William Stewart told the local station. "There could have been a number of things that went wrong that then lead us to a series of events where we're at now."
FDNY Chief George Healy said the rough conditions may have been deceiving.
A special maritime weather warning was in effect Thursday as a storm system brought winds exceeding 50 miles per hour and waves as
high as 15 feet, according to The New York Times.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, praised the Coast Guard on Twitter.