Coast Guard Rescues 9 Crew Members From Tourist Pirate Ship in Stormy Waters
Crew members had to abandon ship and leap from the disabled 'Liana's Ransom.'
— -- The Coast Guard endured rough seas and gusting winds to rescue nine crewmen from a disabled tourist pirate ship called Liana's Ransom that was stranded off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Watchstanders were notified at 12:35 a.m. Monday that the Canadian tall ship's engines were disabled and its sails were wrapped around the mast, according to a statement from the Coast Guard.
"It was fortunate for the crew of the vessel that the owner reached out to us," said Jay Woodhead, the command duty officer at Sector Boston's Command Center.
He added that with wind gusts up to 30 knots, it was unsafe for them to stay aboard.
As the weather "deteriorated" and seas reached nearly 10 feet, two motor lifeboat crews went 58 miles east from the coast to try to tow the vessel back to Gloucester, but once on scene, "rough sea conditions caused the tow line to break," the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard members then helped the stranded crew members gets into immersion suits and abandon ship along with the assistance of a helicopter crew.
One man suffered a head injury while leaping from Liana's Ransom and airlifted by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital.
The rest of the men were then transferred to lifeboats, which returned to the station.
A locator beacon was left on Liana's Ransom still at sea for tracking, and it was last reported the Coast Guard was en-route to evaluate towing the ship to port.