Only one of the men was wearing a life jacket.
(TILLAMOOK) - The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three men from the cold waters of the Oregon Coast near Tillamook Friday night.
The men had been missing for around seven-and-a-half hours in water with temperatures as low as 65 degrees and were found clinging to an ice chest among the debris of their vessel.
A Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter from Air Station Astoria lifted the men from the water and delivered them to an ambulance that relayed them to a hospital in Newport.
The search for the men started when a mayday call was received by the Coast Guard at about 1:30 PM.
Four helicopters and one C-130 search plane were sent to search for the vessel and its passengers.
Debris and an oil sheen were discovered at around 5:00 PM prompting the Coast Guard to divert two 47-foot response boats to the scene.
A cooler and jacket were found floating within 10 miles of the debris and the Coast Guard dispatched one of the two boats to the site.
Three Men, Clinging to a Cooler, Rescued From Cold Ocean WatersSalem-News.com