CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Coast Guard Cutter Viking capsized off the Gulf Coast of Florida Friday, leaving all 34 of its crew members soaked and irritated.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., an unidentified piece of mechanical equipment exploded in the boat's engine room. The force of the blast blew a hole into the hull. The boat immediately turned onto its side and would have likely overturned had it not hit the sea floor.
"It was awful," said Randy Myers, who witnessed the explosion while at the beach with his children. "Out of the corner of my eye I saw a big flash, and then a second later heard the boom. The boat went down right away, man. Then I saw the lifeguard tear ass down the beach into the water and run out to the boat."
