They tapped on the metal of the capsized ship off the Georgia coast. Tap, tap, tap. Then, rescuers waited for any sign from those stuck aboard.
“Eventually, they got tap backs,” a Coast Guard commander said Monday afternoon. “Knowing that the people were alive made all the difference and knowing where to go on the ship.”
The four missing crew members of the Golden Ray, a 656-foot vehicle carrier hauling vehicles, were alive nearly 35 hours after the vessel capsized. Late Monday afternoon, three of the four had been rescued, according to Capt. John Reed, commander of Coast Guard sector Charleston. Around 6 p.m., the fourth crew member was pulled to safety.