Father, son saved after boat catches fire, sinks

SOUTHWEST HARBOR – A father and son crew were rescued unharmed Tuesday afternoon after their boat caught fire and sank in the waters off Mount Desert Rock.

The U.S. Coast Guard located David and Ryan Graves in a life raft about three miles southeast of Mount Desert Rock, a remote island about 25 miles south of Bar Harbor. The two men were not hurt and were taken to the Coast Guard station in Southwest Harbor.

Coast Guard officials received the distress call at about 11:22 a.m. Tuesday, reporting that the fishing vessel Midnight, a 40-foot lobster boat out of Northeast Harbor, had caught fire and sunk.

The accident occurred at about 9 a.m. The two men had a cell phone aboard the life raft and drifted for about two hours until they finally got a cell phone signal and could call for help. They contacted a friend who relayed the distress call to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard launched a Falcon jet crew and a Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod, and a 41-foot and 47-foot boat crew from Coast Guard Station Southwest Harbor. Coast Guard Cutter Moray was diverted to the scene from a routine patrol. Because of visibility of less than a quarter-mile, the Coast Guard crews had difficulty finding the crew in the life raft.

“This was a challenging case due to the low visibility,” said Chief Petty Officer Ed Iversen, the officer in charge at Coast Guard Station Southwest Harbor. “The crew of the Midnight used whistles and the cell phone to help us pinpoint their location.”

By 1:53 p.m., one of the Southwest Harbor vessels was alongside the life raft and took the two men on board.

The fishing vessel sank in about 400 feet of water and is considered a total loss. The Coast Guard has begun an investigation into the cause of the fire.

rhewitt@bangordailynews.net

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