Six fishermen were rescued from a disabled vessel about six miles north of Kane'ohe's Mokapu Point at 6 a.m. yesterday by a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat, the Coast Guard said.

The wife of one of the fishermen called about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday to report her husband and the others were overdue from a day fishing trip on O'ahu's Windward side.

The Coast Guard was able to talk briefly with the fishermen through a cell phone and determined a general location about six miles from shore, a news release said.

The fishermen reported the cell phone was running low on battery life and that they had no personal flotation devices, flares or a working radio aboard their vessel.

Using GPS information provided by the cell phone company, the Coast Guard determined the general search area and coordinated with the Honolulu Fire Department on a search-and-rescue plan.

HFD sent its Air One helicopter to the search area and the Coast Guard launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from Air Station Barbers Point.

The HH-65's crew spotted the vessel at 12:29 a.m. and lowered a radio. The Coast Guard established a communications plan with the fishermen and asked them to check in periodically.

The crew of the 87-foot patrol boat Ahi began making its way toward the disabled vessel's position at that time, the Coast Guard said.

The Ahi arrived on scene at 5:49 a.m. yesterday and placed the disabled vessel under tow. The Ahi safely returned the disabled vessel and the six fishermen to the state's He'eia Kea Small Boat Harbor boat ramp in Kane'ohe at 9:11 a.m. yesterday.

"We were fortunate to be able to reach them via cell phone," said Petty Officer 1st Class Matt Couling, a search-and-rescue coordinator at the Coast Guard's 24-hour Sand Island command center, in the news release.

"It's important to remind mariners to have the proper safety gear on board and to leave a plan with friends or families because that makes our job as rescuers that much easier. This case could have turned out a lot worse," Couling said.

For more information about the proper safety gear to have on board recreational vessels, check the "safety" section of www.uscgboating.org.