3 fishermen plucked from Atlantic waters off Nantucket by Coast Guard helicopter crew

BOSTON (AP) — Three fishermen who were not wearing life jackets were plucked alive from ocean waters by the Coast Guard five miles east of Nantucket off the Cape Cod coast Saturday afternoon.

At about 12:48 p.m. the First Coast Guard District command center received an alert from an emergency radio beacon registered to the 55-foot commercial fishing vessel Miss Kara.

A Jayhawk helicopter crew based out of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and a 47-foot lifeboat crew based out of Coast Guard Station Brandt Point in Nantucket responded.

Just after 2 p.m. the Jayhawk crew discovered all three fishermen clinging to a buoy.

The three were safely hoisted aboard the helicopter and flown to Hyannis Airport, where they were treated by emergency medical workers.

A video released by the Coast Guard show the men being pulled onto the helicopter one by one as it hovered about the Atlantic waters.

The emergency beacon was crucial to the rescue, according to Lt. Cmdr. Kristi Butler, search and rescue coordinator for the First Coast Guard District.

“This positive outcome demonstrates the importance of maintaining vital lifesaving equipment onboard your vessel,” Butler said.