Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Plunges into Sea to Save Overboard Fisherman Off Cape Cod

According to a U.S. Coast Guard media statement, a fisherman was pulled from the water suffering from hypothermia today after falling overboard from the fishing vessel Western Edge in a swift, multi-asset Coast Guard rescue off Cape Cod. Sector Southeast New England received the distress call at 12:52 p.m. local time. The Coast Guard immediately broadcast an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched a coordinated search. Assets rushed to the scene included a small boat from Coast Guard Station Provincetown, an MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, and the Coast Guard Cutter Melvin Bell, which was diverted from its patrol. Roughly two hours later, at 2:47 p.m., the fishing vessel Seal Jr. spotted the missing crew member in the water. Coast Guard helicopter 6061 responded immediately. Its rescue swimmer jumped into the ocean, secured the man, and the crew hoisted him to safety aboard the helicopter. The fisherman is being transported to a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia. The successful outcome highlights the rapid response and teamwork that define Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations in the region. [US Coast Guard photo from today’s rescue mission]