A New Jersey fire rescue boat was sunk in a “harrowing” freak accident involving a whale, sending the whole crew overboard and in need of rescue themselves while the vessel was returning from New York Harbor’s Fourth of July celebrations.
Carteret Fire Department Marine Unit 2 was returning from a security detail during America’s 250th anniversary celebrations near the Statue of Liberty when the ship suddenly shook around 4:30 p.m., the Carteret Fire Department said.
A whale had breached the ocean’s surface directly underneath the boat, striking its stern as it approached the mouth of Raritan Bay, between New Jersey and Staten Island, according to the firefighters and Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman.
The massive marine mammal caused “catastrophic” damage to the ship, Reiman said.
The boat rapidly took on water, leaving the firefighters aboard only seconds to abandon ship before the vessel sank, the fire officials said.
But the bobbing smoke-eaters — who were all wearing life jackets — were only left to tread water for so long.
A jet skier and a recreational boater quickly came to their rescue, pulling the men onto the small boat until marine fire units from the nearby Perth Amboy Fire Department rushed to the shipwrecked crew’s aid.
The Carteret Fire Department said that a nearby recreational vessel had reported seeing a pod of whales breaching the water before and after the chance collision.
All firefighters aboard the boat returned home safely, the department added.
“While the Carteret Fire Department Marine Unit regularly trains to rescue civilians from the water and respond to marine emergencies, fires, and vehicle incidents, an event of this nature is something no one anticipates,” the department said in a Facebook post.
“Understandably, it has left those involved shaken, but we are incredibly thankful that everyone returned home safely to their families.”
It’s not clear if the whale was injured in the collision.
