A Coast Guard vessel sent to rescue a fishing boat that ran aground in choppy waters off Rockaway Beach in Queens capsized early Thursday, according to reports.
The seven crew members aboard the Carolina Queen III fishing trawler were rescued in an operation that involved a Coast Guard helicopter.
The five Coast Guard members from Station Jones Beach swam to shore and were treated by Emergency Medical Services, the Coast Guard said. No injuries were immediately reported.
The Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound Command Center received a distress call at about 2 a.m. from the 76-foot scallop fishing vessel.
The 25-foot Coast Guard boat was sent to assist the Carolina Queen III, which was taking on water as 10- to 12-foot waves pounded the nearby East Rockaway Inlet.
The Coast Guard boat overturned near the Silver Point Beach Club in Atlantic Beach about 4:45 a.m.
The fishing vessel ran aground off Rockaway Beach and Beach 59th Street and its crew members were hoisted onto the HH-65 Dolphin chopper from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City.
It was not immediately clear why the Carolina Queen ran aground. The vessel remains listing several yards off-shore.
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