A helicopter rescue crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point today rescued three fishermen from rough seas after their fishing vessel overturned three miles north of Kauai. Search and rescue controllers from the Coast Guard's Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu received a distress signal from the 15-foot fishing vessel, Dauntless, at approximately 9 a.m. that indicated the vessel was either taking on water or had already sunk. A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew was launched immediately from Oahu and responded to the incident. All three fishermen were hoisted aboard the helicopter at 11:27 a.m. The helicopter rescue crew had arrived at Hanalei Bay at approximately 10:30 a.m. and sighted the three fishermen on top of the overturned fishing vessel. The vessel was already submerged. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer was lowered into the water and sent each fisherman up to the helicopter in a rescue basket. The fishermen were then flown to an awaiting Kauai County Emergency Medical Services team at Lihue International Airport on Kauai. All fishermen were reported to be wearing life jackets and are in good condition. The fishermen used a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to send a distress signal.

---