Five Sailors Rescued - Dramatic moment Coast Guard rushes to rescue stranded sailors as boat sinks hundreds of miles off coast

The US Coast Guard dramatically pulled five sailors to safety after their boat went down in choppy waters hundreds of miles off the coast of North Carolina.

The five men, who were aboard the sailboat 'Magic Bus', issued a mayday call on Thursday after their boat began sinking.

The North Carolina Command Center scrambled an immediate response to the group some 260 nautical miles off Cape Hatteras as the sailors abandoned their boat.

The cutter Angela McShan (WPC 1135), along with an HC-130 Hercules aircraft and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter were deployed from Air Station Elizabeth City as part of the mission.

Photos released by the Coast Guard capture a Jayhawk helicopter hovering over stormy Atlantic waters, with a small orange raft tossed by waves and wind nearby.

Another photo captured the white sailboat almost swallowed by the sea, with only its mast sticking out as it tipped to the side.

The HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Elizabeth City found the raft with all five crew members and confirmed they were 'stable and in good condition,' the agency reported.

Because the rescue was far from shore, the Coast Guard called on the USS George H.W. Bush to supply additional fuel, allowing the helicopter to maintain range for the offshore operation.

Moments later, the helicopter crew lifted all five men to safety, confirming they were 'in good health,' with the entire rescue captured on video.

Video from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service shows helicopter crews hoisting a sailor into the air while he sat in a metal rescue basket, wearing a life vest and soaked water gear.

After being secured inside, he stepped out of the rescue equipment and took a seat beside another sailor who had just been rescued.

The aircraft refueled after picking up the survivors and then returned them safely to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.

One Coast Guard photo showed the five men stepping off the helicopter onto dry land, while another captured them linking arms and smiling in relief after the rescue.

Brandon Flack, owner of Magic Bus Charters, announced on Facebook Thursday night that he and his wife were picking up their son and three friends from Providence Airport - all part of the stranded crew.

He hailed 'the legend' Buster Pike, the fifth man on the sinking ship, for keeping his loved ones 'safe and sound.'

'In the darkest hours this morning, while relaying the Mayday to the Coast Guard and picturing all of them stepping up into a life raft in 40+ winds, 10+ foot seas, nearly 300 miles offshore and in total darkness, I got a text from his wife Heather,' Flack wrote.

Pike’s wife reassured him, saying, 'Buster is the person to have there in a situation like this.'

'I didn’t believe it at first, but somehow I knew they were going to be okay,' Flack wrote. 'A few hours later, the Coast Guard shared that the crew were in good spirits. They had packed extra water and food for an extended rescue.'

It goes without saying that the US Coast Guard is the best in the world at this. Buster doing his job made it possible for them to do theirs,' he added.

'God bless the Coast Guard, and next time you see Buster Pike, don’t let him buy a drink. Young souls are coming home tonight because he was the person to have there in a situation like this.'

The charter company also took to Facebook to address their boat, now lost deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

'We Lost the Bus, Not the Magic,' the company wrote.

'Thanks to the calm and quick thinking of our lifelong friend Buster Pike, the steady teamwork of the crew, and the heroic efforts of the US Coast Guard and US Navy, incredibly, everyone made it home safe and sound,' they added.

'We will be back, not to start over but to continue what the Bus began: helping more people experience the beauty, peace, and wild simplicity of life in the Exumas. The boat may be gone, but the magic she shared is very much alive.'

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