(Hooper Strait, MD) - Two Maryland State Police helicopter crews rescued two victims off of a sinking fishing boat in the Chesapeake Bay today.
Shortly before 11:00 a..m. this morning, Trooper 6, the Aviation Command helicopter assigned to the Centreville hangar, was dispatched to the Hooper Island area of Dorchester County in search of a sinking fishing boat. The crew of Trooper 6 was Pilot Jim Billings and flight paramedic First Sergeant J.C. Lewis.
Moments after Trooper 6 launched, Trooper 7, the Aviation Command helicopter assigned to the Southern Maryland Section, was dispatched to assist in the large scale search. The crew of Trooper 7 was Pilot Bob Carolla and flight paramedic Trooper First Class Jeremy Everly.
The initial 9-1-1 call that police received did not specify the area in which the boat was sinking. Due to the victims losing their cell phone in the water, further contact with police was made impossible.
At 11:11 a.m., crews aboard Trooper 6 located the quickly sinking 40-foot fishing vessel. The two victims, both adult males, were seen perched on top of the pilot house with the rest of the vessel below the water. The boat appeared to be very old, possibly dating back to the 1950’s.
Despite the windy conditions and the choppiness of the Chesapeake Bay, Trooper 7 |
