Four fishermen and a dog were rescued by a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter after they abandoned ship in the Gulf of Alaska Wednesday night.

The crew of the 76-foot “Ocean Viking” abandoned ship after the vessel began taking on water shortly after 8 pm on Wednesday evening 190 miles southewest of Kodiak. The fishermen donned survival suits, transmitted a MayDay and activated the vessel’s emergency positioning indicating beacon prior to abandoning ship into the “Ocean Viking’s” liferaft.

The distress call received by watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District Command at approximately 8:30 pm was relayed through Trident Seafoods in Chignik by an employee there. The distress call from the Shoreline, Washington vessel in the Gulf was transmitted over channel 16 on the VHF.

Immediately after the distress call was received, Coast Guard personnel at Sector Anchorage and Communication Station Kodiak issued an urgent marine information broadcast requesting the assistance of mariners in the area. Command center watchstanders directed the launch of the Jayhawk helicopter crew.

All four men and the dog were plucked from the raft at 10:30 pm then transported safely to Kodiak, arriving there at approximately midnight.

When last seen, the “Ocean Viking” was partially submerged. The Coast Guard has broadcast a notice to all mariners advising them to keep a lookout to avoid collisions with the partially submerged vessel.

“This crew did everything right from calling for help and activating their EPIRB to donning immersion suits and abandoning ship into their life raft before it was too late,” said Adam De Rocher, a search and rescue controller with the 17^th District command center. “We encourage all fishermen to be prepared for at-sea emergencies and get their free commercial fishing vessel safety exams from the Coast Guard before setting out.”