The Coast Guard on June 5 responded to a reported fire aboard the 178-foot passenger vessel Wilderness Discoverer in Glacier Bay, National Park, Alaska.
The fire was extinguished and all 51 passengers along with 16 crewmembers were safely disembarked aboard the cruise ship Sapphire Princess, according to the Guard.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders in Juneau received the initial call from the crew aboard the Wilderness Discoverer at 7:30 a.m. stating that there was a fire aboard the vessel and they needed assistance.
Coast Guard cutters Pike and Anthony Petit, along with an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and resources from the National Park Service transited to assist the vessel.
“Our primary concern is ensuring the safety of the passengers and the crew,” L.t. j.g. Maximilian Carfagno, the command duty officer at the Sector Juneau command center, was quoted as saying at the time. “The quick launch of our assets and the teamwork among the Sapphire Princess helped in the timeliness of this rescue.”
Eleven crewmembers remained aboard the Wilderness Discoverer and were scheduled to rendezvous with the tugboat Taku Wind, which towed the vessel to Ketchikan.
There were no reports of injuries or pollution and no impact on vessel traffic.