MUSKEGON, Mich. — While the Lake Express is responsible for transporting people across Lake Michigan, Friday morning, it was critical in saving people in a sinking boat outside of Muskegon, Mich.
Around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning, the Lake Express was starting its second pass across Lake Michigan for the day, heading back to port in Milwaukee. Before it left the harbor, the captain noticed something was wrong.
“We crossed paths with the vessel that was in some form of distress,” Aaron Schultz, Senior Vice President of the Lake Express said. “As the ship captain went by, he noted that it seemed that it was a little sunken in the back. They saw smoke and after passing it, they noticed it had pretty rapidly gone underneath the water.”
Schultz says the captain turned around and immediately radioed for help.
“We’re following a possible boat taking on water,” radio traffic from the Muskegon Fire Department said.
While waiting for help, Schultz says the ferry and a number of other fishermen in the harbor came to help the people out of the water. The US Coast Guard, Muskegon Sheriff’s Department and Muskegon Fire Department were on scene to get everyone out of the water. According to the timeline of the radio traffic, everyone was out within about 20 minutes.
1 of 2: A @USCG crew from STA Muskegon and a Good Sam saved 7 people in the water after a 27-foot boat sank in Muskegon Lake this AM. Stricken vessel was spotted by a passing Lake Express ferry before becoming fully submerged; all 7 PIW were evaluated by EMS with 2 seen ...
— USCG Great Lakes (@USCGGreatLakes) August 25, 2023
According to the USCG, the 27-foot boat sank in Muskegon Lake and seven people were saved from the water. The USCG tweeted two of them were seen at a local hospital.
This isn’t the first time the Lake Express has been involved in a rescue effort, according to Schultz. He says, a few years after the Lake Express launched in 2004, it helped rescue someone who had sunk in a sailboat a few miles offshore.
“But this is really the first time that we’ve been so up close and personal,” Schultz said. “They are not real frequent, but we are happy to lend a hand when we’re able to. We’ve participated when we hear these types of distress calls. We do divert from our service to see if we can render aid.”
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
