Boat sinks 5 miles off South Carolina, leaving 3 men clinging to hull, rescuers say

Three men found themselves in a desperate situation early Thursday, Nov. 3, when their boat started to sink 5 miles off Charleston, South Carolina.

Waves eventually capsized the vessel, leaving them crouched together on the bottom of the hull — with only one life preserver among them.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat found them east of Charleston Harbor at sunrise, and a photo shows little more than the propellers were still above water.

“A good Samaritan contacted Coast Guard Sector Charleston watchstanders at 7:27 a.m., stating a 23-foot boat capsized with three men clinging to the overturned hull,” the Coast Guard reported in a news release.

“The three men were sitting on top of their capsized boat for 90 minutes.”

Coast Guard crew pulled the men off the boat and transferred them to emergency medical services at station Charleston. No injuries were reported among the three, officials said.

Their identities were not released.

“This is a prime example of how quickly things can go wrong in a matter of seconds,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Harry Seibert said in the release.

“It is important mariners check their vessel for all the necessary safety equipment onboard and monitor weather conditions prior to getting on the water.”

Details of what caused the boat to overturn were not released. The owner is going to work with a commercial salvage company to try to recover the vessel, officials said.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Boat sinks 5 miles off South Carolina, leaving 3 men clinging to hull, rescuers say."