Off. and Lt. were on patrol on the Patrol Boat 272 when a Pon Pon for a vessel taking on water came over the VHF in the vicinity of Halfway Rock in Narragansett Bay between Jamestown and Portsmouth.  When officers arrived they observed 2 males on a 17’ Mako.  The transom was level with the seawater and the boat was awash.  Lt. threw 2 PFD’s to each man and assisted them onto their Patrol boat.  The victims stated that there were a total of 6 people on board and that 4 of them had gotten on a good Samaritan boat.  Both stated that they did not need medical attention. DEM officers then towed the sinking vessel to a soft beach on the southeast side of the T-Wharf on Prudence Is.  They transported both men back to the Portsmouth ramp where they launched the Mako and then cleared the area. Off. determined the cause of the sinking was overloading and the transom facing into the seas.  The boat took on water from the transom and began to sink causing the vessel to take on more water.
PORTSMOUTH