A U.S. Coast Guard crew aboard a 45-foot response boat towed a 32-foot bowpicker vessel from near Squaw Bay in Prince William Sound to Whittier on June 19 after the vessel struck a rock and began taking on water.
A response boat crew member went aboard the Metal Disorder with a dewatering pump to assist the operator, who was the lone occupant of the distressed vessel.
The crew also installed a plug to stem water entering the vessel at the approximate rate of 30 gallons a minute.
The Coast Guard responded after receiving a report that the Metal Disorder struck a rock near Esther Island and began taking on water through a gash in the hull. The operator reportedly beached the vessel at low tide and continued dewatering the vessel as the tide swelled.
Two good Samaritan vessels and crew also responded to assist after Coast Guard Sector Anchorage issued an urgent marine information broadcast.
Weather on scene was about 12-mile an hour winds, with one-foot seas and nine miles visibility.
