Seven people were rescued offshore in Ocean City, Maryland, early Saturday morning.
At 3:30 a.m., a crew member on the tug Legacy notified the Maryland-National Capital Region of the Coast Guard that while towing a 290-foot barge from New Jersey to Guyana, a 1,000-foot towing line became entangled and then snapped.
The crew attempted to capture the tow and the barge but the tow line became tangled in the propeller, which immobilized the vessel, according to a news release.
The tug’s crew member told the Coast Guard that the Legacy was inoperable and that the crew was making preparations to abandon ship, according to the news release.
The 154-foot Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson from Cape May, New Jersey, diverted its path to the direction of the Legacy to help, the news release said.
The weather turned out to be an issue when the Cutter Lawrence Lawson was unable to get near the disabled tug or barge. There was also concern that the loose tow line would damage other propellers.
The Lawrence Lawson remained on the scene and helped the seven crew members on the Legacy that were stuck, according to the release.
The Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capitol Region launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, and an MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to help the crew off the Legacy.
The helicopter hoisted the seven people from the vessel and transported them to Ocean City Municipal Airport. There were no reported injuries, according to the news release.
