RESCUE CREWS SAVE 20 FROM STRANDED VESSEL.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer Emergency crews performed a dramatic maritime rescue Monday after a double-masted sailing ship ran aground a·ground adv. & adj. 1. Onto or on a shore, reef, or the bottom of a body of water: a ship that ran aground; a ship aground offshore. 2. near a rock jetty jetty: see coast protection. in Channel Islands Harbor, then was battered by heavy surf as 20 people clung to the listing vessel. The Irving Johnson
Four people had to be rescued by emergency crews from the 58-degree water. The remaining 16 donned life vests and were instructed to leap overboard one at a time, as rescuers waited in the water on Wave Runners, shuttling them to shore. ``The vessel was pitching, and it was imperative that they get off into the water where they could be rescued,'' said Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. Capt. Tom Law, who piloted one of the Wave Runners during the rescue. ``It was extremely dangerous to be on that ship.'' Although no one was seriously injured, four people were hospitalized with hypothermia hypothermia Abnormally low body temperature, with slowing of physiological activity. It is artificially induced (usually with ice baths) for certain surgical procedures and cancer treatments. . Fourteen other people were being housed at a Red Cross shelter late Monday, while two others were able to go home, Law said. Ten students and 10 crew were aboard the boat, said Laura Trulson, the institute's education director. She said she did not know how the vessel got into trouble. More than 50 rescue personnel from the Ventura County Fire Department, Channel Islands Harbor Patrol, Oxnard Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard participated in the operation. The Irving Johnson was being used for a weeklong team-building trip through the Channel Islands as part of the institute's TopSail Youth Program. Among those on board were students from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. . The vessel - a sister ship of the Exy Johnson - was completed in 2003. It is 90 feet long with 4,450 square feet of sail, a rigging height of nearly 88 feet and a diesel engine. The sails were furled furl v. furled, furl·ing, furls v.tr. To roll up and secure (a flag or sail, for example) to something else. v.intr. To be or become rolled up. n. 1. during the rescue. John Little, a volunteer with the institute who helped build the ship, said it is used for courage-building programs for troubled youths and college students. ``The people who work on this ship, they're all good people,'' Little said. ``They work good with the kids. The program changes lives.'' The Associated Press contributed to this story. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, map Photo: (1) The Irving Johnson, a 70-foot-tall brigantine operated by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute, lists badly off Silver Strand Beach Silverstrand Beach is an isolated beach neighborhood located in the city of Oxnard, California. It is bounded on the south/southwest by the Pacific Ocean and the waters of the Channel Islands Harbor; on the east by the United States Navy Base at Port Hueneme and on the north by on Monday near Channel Islands Harbor. (2) Emergency crews scan the waters off Channel Islands Harbor for other people who were stranded on the disabled sailing ship. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Map: Ship runs aground Daily News |
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