The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan commercial fishing crew rescued five people after the fishing vessel Star King, a 55-foot stern trawler homeported in Astoria, capsized and sank near the entrance to the Columbia River early Saturday morning.
All five fishermen were pulled from the water by the crew of the fishing vessel Sea Ballad and were transferred to the Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat, from Station Cape Disappointment. The Coast Guard vessel brought the fishermen to the station in Ilwaco, Washington, where they did not need medical attention.
The Coast Guard received the Star King's first mayday calls at 4:31 a.m., according to a news release. The fishing trawler's captain reported they were taking on water and listing hard to starboard before capsizing and sending the crew into the water.
