Crew rescued after boat runs aground off Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Four crew members of a commercial fishing boat that ran aground in the Aleutian Islands on Wednesday used a crab pot to lower themselves off the vessel, then made it to higher ground, where they were hoisted to safety by a helicopter.

All were taken to nearby Dutch Harbor for medical evaluations, but there were no reported injuries, Brad Anderson, the operations officer on the Coast Guard cutter Munro, told The Associated Press by satellite phone.

Hurricane-force winds kept the Coast Guard from lifting crewmen directly from the 58-foot-long Icy Mist, which ran aground off the rocky coast of Akutan Island, about 40 miles east of Dutch Harbor, a major Aleutian Islands fishing port.

"They were able to disembark the fishing vessel by lowering a crab pot off their stern and lowering themselves on the line," Anderson said.

He said there were 20- to 30-foot seas during the rescue, but that based on communications from the scene, it didn't sound like the crew had to swim once off the boat.

Rescuers instructed the crewmen to head for shore and then to higher ground on the island to get away from a wind-whipped sheer cliff, Anderson said.

The Coast Guard identified the crew as Dan Oliver, 46; Clint Packer, 43; Kevin Fisner, 36; Terry Meyer, 29. No hometowns were available.

The Coast Guard received a mayday call early Wednesday reporting that the boat was taking on water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios said from the command center in Juneau. The call was received by the vessel Arctic Fox and relayed to the Northern Glacier, whose crew contacted the Coast Guard.

The vessel was later reported aground on Akutan Island, which is 766 miles southwest of Anchorage.

A Coast Guard cutter and three rescue helicopters were sent to aid the crew, but foul weather and high winds hampered rescue efforts, Rios said.

The first helicopter sent, a HH-65 Dolphin launched from Dutch Harbor, was forced to turn back because of the wind, which was blowing at 45 mph, with gusts reaching 80 mph, Rios said.

The Munro, on patrol in the Bering Sea, was ordered to Akutan. It stood by 4 miles offshore and monitored the scene.

Two larger helicopters, MH-60 Jayhawks, were launched from St. Paul Island, about 265 miles northwest of Akutan. They also were unable to lift the crewmen off the vessel.