Whale Strike Sinks Carteret Fire Boat, Forcing 4:30 p.m. Rescue in Raritan Bay

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 6

Carteret Fire Department's Marine Unit 2 was struck beneath the stern by a surfacing whale around 4:30 p.m. Friday near the mouth of Raritan Bay, leaving the boat catastrophically damaged and taking on water within seconds.
Firefighters abandoned the vessel and all escaped without injury after a jet ski operator, another boater and Perth Amboy Fire Department's marine unit pulled the crew from the water.
The boat was returning from a July 4 marine security assignment in the New York/New Jersey Port area when the collision happened; a nearby vessel reported multiple whales breaching before and after it.
Officials have not identified the whale species or said whether it was injured, and the circumstances of the strike remain under review as the department urges boaters to wear life jackets.