'Whale strike' downs Australian fishing boat
SYDNEY — Three Australian fishermen were rescued off the country's west coast after their boat apparently hit a whale and sank in rough seas, police said Wednesday.
The men abandoned their 14-metre (46-foot) wooden boat after striking something "solid", and were eventually rescued by the crew of an oil-drilling vessel.
"They hit something hard, solid, they suspect it's a whale," said senior sergeant Greg Trew of Western Australia's Water Police. "They abandoned ship and were in the water for about four hours."
Trew said the trio were all in good health despite their ordeal in "horrendous" seas.
"It was pretty shocking conditions, 35-knot winds and three to four metre swells, it was pretty nasty," he said.
Three Australian fishermen were rescued off the country's west coast after their boat apparently hit a whale
SYDNEY — Three Australian fishermen were rescued off the country's west coast after their boat apparently hit a whale and sank in rough seas, police said Wednesday.
The men abandoned their 14-metre (46-foot) wooden boat after striking something "solid", and were eventually rescued by the crew of an oil-drilling vessel.
"They hit something hard, solid, they suspect it's a whale," said senior sergeant Greg Trew of Western Australia's Water Police. "They abandoned ship and were in the water for about four hours."
Trew said the trio were all in good health despite their ordeal in "horrendous" seas.
"It was pretty shocking conditions, 35-knot winds and three to four metre swells, it was pretty nasty," he said.
Three Australian fishermen were rescued off the country's west coast after their boat apparently hit a whale