Coast Guard crews from Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco rescued three commercial fishermen after their vessel began taking on water at the mouth of the Columbia River early Sunday morning.

Coast Guard Sector Columbia River watchstanders received a mayday call from the captain of the fishing vessel Coastal Reign at 3:20 a.m., reporting they had hit a submerged object and were taking on water. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and 47-foot motor life boats were immediately dispatched, both arriving at the scene just 18 minutes later in Skipanon Marina in Warrenton, Ore.

The crew aboard one of the rescue vessels passed a pump to the Coastal Reign and put a crewmember aboard the vessel to help set it up. After stabilizing the vessel, the Coastal Reign was towed to port and was safely moored at 4:40 a.m.

There were six-foot swells at the time of the rescue, according to a Coast Guard statement. A Captain of the Port order – an order issued typically by the commander of a Coast Guard sector – was placed on the Coastal Reign to ensure the damaged vessel is repaired properly and passes an inspection by a Coast Guard marine inspector before operating again.