Coast Guard Rescues Five from Sunken Yacht

On Thursday, the Coast Guard successfully rescued five individuals from a sunken yacht located hundreds of miles off North Carolina’s coast, and thankfully, all are reported to be safe.

According to the Coast Guard, the distress call came from the crew of the sailing vessel named the Magic Bus. They were approximately 260 nautical miles from Cape Hatteras when they reached out for help.

The crew informed the Coast Guard that their yacht was taking on water, prompting them to board life rafts.

In response, the Coast Guard deployed several resources, including the cutter Angela McShann from Elizabeth City Air Station, an HC-130 Hercules airplane, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.

One striking image captures the Jayhawk hovering above turbulent dark green water, with a small orange life raft visible below, swaying amid the wind and waves.

Another photo reveals the sails of the white yacht tilting dramatically, nearly submerged underwater.

Given that the incident occurred far from shore, the Coast Guard coordinated with the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to provide fuel support for the helicopters, which helped extend their operational range.

Eventually, the crew of the HC-130 located the life raft and confirmed that all five individuals were “stable and in good condition,” according to the Coast Guard. Shortly after, the Jayhawk crew was able to bring them to safety.

Following a refuel on the George H.W. Bush, the helicopter transported the rescued sailors back to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, where officials noted that everyone seemed to be in good health.

It’s still unclear why the group had traveled so far offshore or how they managed to sail more than 400 miles from land.

Additionally, the Coast Guard shared various photos and videos from the rescue, illustrating the challenging conditions the team dealt with during the mission.