By Larry Higgs | NJ.com
nj.com
CARTERET, N.J. — A Carteret fireboat suffered catastrophic damage Saturday when a surfacing whale struck the craft in the Raritan Bay as it returned from assisting in a Fourth of July marine security patrol.
The firefighters on board had to abandon the craft within seconds of the strike after it started taking on water, Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman said in a Facebook post.
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The whale hit the boat, Marine 2, south of the Arthur Kill at the mouth of Raritan Bay at about 4:30 p.m.
Photos in the mayor’s post show the boat partially submerged.
The crew were wearing their required life jackets and Reiman credited a jet ski operator and another boater for aiding the crew, and the Perth Amboy Fire Department marine unit, “for fishing our guys out of the channel.”
“All fire personnel are safe, and no injuries have been reported,” Reiman said.
The jet skier reported seeing a pod of whales periodically breaching the water before and after the collision, the mayor said.
“Though the CFD trains to rescue civilians from the water, fires and car accidents, something like this certainly leaves an impression and a person a bit shaken,” Reiman said.
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