Vessel Runs Aground off Frisco; Three Passengers Onboard Rescued

UPDATE: The beach between ORV ramps 48 and 49 is temporarily closed. The debris field contains nails, wood, and other potentially hazardous objects. Once the beach is cleared it will be reopened. For beach access updates, go to http://go.nps.gov/beachaccess.

At approximately 5:20 a.m. on Monday morning, a call was received regarding a 55’ foot shrimp trawler that was in distress off the beach of Frisco, roughly a half mile north of Ramp 49. A representative from the U.S. Coast Guard stated that the vessel, the Big John (Wanchese, N.C.), had run aground close to shore and had broken apart, and the three passengers onboard put on their survival suits and immediately headed to the beach.

Members of the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, U.S. Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet, and the National Park Service responded to the call. The three crew members were met at the Frisco shoreline and transferred to the Dare County EMS and the Outer Banks Hospital, and only minor injuries were reported. The cause of the accident is unknown.

The abandoned vessel is still run aground and stationary roughly 150 yards off the beach in north Frisco, per Hatteras Island Rescue Squad Chief Jack Scarborough. The debris field is roughly a mile wide, with debris washing up along the surrounding beaches from South Beach in Buxton to Frisco.

Per a press release from the National Park Service, due to the large debris field created by the incident, the beach between ORV ramps 48 and 49 is temporarily closed. The debris field contains nails, wood, and other potentially hazardous objects. Once the beach is cleared it will be reopened. For beach access updates, go to http://go.nps.gov/beachaccess.

The debris field expanded for a mile from the site of the incident.