A fire and rescue ship from New Jersey sank in an unfortunate accident involving a whale while it was heading back from Fourth of July festivities in New York Harbor, leaving the crew to scramble in the water.
The 2nd Marine Unit of the Carteret Fire Department was concluding its guard duty at a 250th anniversary event near the Statue of Liberty when, around 4:30 p.m., the boat unexpectedly jolted. Firefighters and Mayor Dan Lyman noted that the whale surfaced and collided with the rear of the vessel as it approached Raritan Bay, situated between New Jersey and Staten Island.
Lyman described the damage caused by the massive creature as “catastrophic.”
Fire officials stated that the ship quickly took on water, and the firefighters had mere seconds to escape, leading to its sinking.
Those on board, all in life jackets and dealing with the aftermath, found themselves treading water for quite a while.
Fortunately, jet skiers and other boaters quickly came to assist, lifting the firefighters onto a smaller vessel until marine firefighters from the nearby Perth Amboy Fire Department arrived to help the crew.
The Carteret Fire Department mentioned that a recreational boat nearby reported seeing a group of whales in the area before and after the incident.
All firefighters eventually returned home safely.
“Our Marine Corps trains regularly to handle water rescues and various maritime emergencies, but this incident was unexpected,” the department remarked in a Facebook post.
“While it’s natural to feel upset about what happened, we’re truly relieved that everyone made it back to their families.”
It remains unclear if the whale sustained any injuries from the impact.
