Three Men, Clinging to a Cooler, Rescued From Cold Ocean Waters

Only one of the men was wearing a life jacket.

Men undergoing rescue efforts Photo courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard

(TILLAMOOK) - The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three men from the cold waters of the Oregon Coast near Tillamook Friday night.

The men had been missing for around seven-and-a-half hours in water with temperatures as low as 65 degrees and were found clinging to an ice chest among the debris of their vessel.

A Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter from Air Station Astoria lifted the men from the water and delivered them to an ambulance that relayed them to a hospital in Newport.

The search for the men started when a mayday call was received by the Coast Guard at about 1:30 PM.

Four helicopters and one C-130 search plane were sent to search for the vessel and its passengers.

Debris and an oil sheen were discovered at around 5:00 PM prompting the Coast Guard to divert two 47-foot response boats to the scene.

A cooler and jacket were found floating within 10 miles of the debris and the Coast Guard dispatched one of the two boats to the site.