Sandy Sinks Tall Ship, 14 Rescued and Two Missing
Published at | Updated at
File photo. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock)(HATTERAS, N.C.) — Fourteen people were rescued Monday morning from a tall ship that was sunk by Hurricane Sandy, but a Coast Guard plane is scouring the churning seas for two crew members who are missing.
The HMS Bounty is a 180-foot replica of the ship featured in the film Mutiny on the Bounty.
The ship left Connecticut last week for St. Petersburg, Fla. The crew had been in constant contact with the National Hurricane Center and tried to go around the storm, according to the director of the HMS Bounty Organization, Tracie Simonin.
But the ship got caught in Sandy’s fury and began taking on water.
The Bounty completely sank later Monday morning.
A Coast Guard plane spotted the ship before it went down and directed two rescue helicopters to the scene. At 6:40 a.m., the H65 Jayhawk helicopters hoisted 14 people out of their lifeboats and into the choppers.
The survivors were taken to Air Station Elizabeth City on the North Carolina coast.
Two people are still missing, and the Coast Guard is conducting a search and rescue operation. As of 9 a.m. there is a third helicopter on its way out to the boat, the official said.
Initial reports said there were 17 people on the Bounty, but the manifest indicated the ship only has 16 people aboard.
Hurricane Sandy, which is stirring up waves as large as 32 feet high according to buoy readings, is also giving a wild ride to passengers on at least five cruise ships. The five cruise ships in the waters that Sandy is churning Monday are the Aiduluna, the Carnival Miracle, Explorer of the Seas, the Norwegian Jewel and the Queen Mary 2, which is heading to the United Kingdom.
Cruise ships now out in the waters are being forced to re-route and attempt to ride out the storm throughout the week. Cruise companies are delaying departures and arrivals and have even cancelled trips.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio