Photo: Carteret Fire Department // Facebook
Whales sinking ships may sound like the stuff of sailors’ legends, but the phenomena can be all too real. This weekend, a Fire Department vessel in New Jersey waters ran afoul of one such sea creature, to catastrophic results.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on July 4. While conducting a regional special operation marine security detail for the NYNJ port area, a Carteret Fire Department marine vessel was struck by a breaching whale.
“CFD Marine 2 was violently and suddenly struck under the stern by a surfacing whale breaching the water south of the Arthur Kill at the mouth of Raritan Bay, causing catastrophic damage to the vessel,” wrote the Carteret Fire Department in a Facebook post. “The boat immediately took on water, and all firefighters aboard had to immediately abandon the boat within seconds of the strike.”
Though authorities are still reviewing what exactly happened, witnesses reported seeing a pod of whales breaching nearby both before, and after, the incident.
“Fortunately, no one was injured and all are resting up with their families,” concluded Carteret FD “All Personnel had their required life jackets on, which helped to aid them prior to the arrival of assistance. A reminder to all boaters, Jet Ski operators, and kayakers about the importance of wearing your life jacket.”
The run-in calls to mind incidents of orcas sinking ships in the Strait of Gibraltar, where killer whales were spotted stalking boats and deliberately disabling them, sometimes even removing their rudders, However, this seems like more of a chance encounter than a deliberate attack.
