In a harrowing rescue 90 miles off the coast of North Carolina, the Coast Guard airlifted 14 people to safety.
The replica HMS Bounty tall ship is shown in this August 2011 handout photo supplied by HMS Bounty Organization LLC on her European Tour 2011 while in Swinoujescie, Poland.
Image by Handout / Reuters
According to Reuters, the tall ship was off the coast of North Carolina when the hurricane hit. The crew abandoned ship to inflatable life rafts to await rescue from the Coast Guard while the replica went down in 18 foot seas. Despite the relatively shallow water, from which the mast of the Bounty can be seen jutting out, weather conditions made retrieval hazardous.
The 14 survivors were flown to a Coast Guard air station in North Carolina with no life threatening injuries while rescuers continue the search for the remaining two crew.
A member of the U.S. Coast Guard is lowered to a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 90 miles (144 kms) southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina, October 29, 2012.
Image by Handout / Reuters
A crewman of the replica tall ship HMS Bounty is lifted from the water by a member of the U.S. Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean.
Image by Handout / Reuters
