They were lucky that they were so close to the harbour when it happened

Simon Riley Stornoway Coastguard

A coastguard helicopter was also on hand to offer assistance.

The four crew were said to be uninjured, although suffering from shock.

Stornoway Coastguard received the mayday call shortly before 0500 BST to say that the small fishing boat was taking on water close to Chicken Rock.

"The pumps were working but they were worried about how long they would work for," said the coastguard's district controller Simon Riley.

"The water by this time was half way up the cabin, so it was getting quite serious."

Rescue operation

A lifeboat and helicopter were both at the scene in about 25 minutes.

Another fishing vessel, the Buckie-registered Lynn Marie, had also come alongside to help with the rescue operation.

"Within a very short time the boat rolled over sideways and started to sink," said Mr Riley.

However, by this time the four crew members had made good their escape, two on the lifeboat and the other two on the Lynn Marie.

A lifeboat and fishing boat picked the men up

"It happened very quickly. Thankfully they were able to get the mayday call out before the power was lost on the radio," said Mr Riley.

And he added: "They were lucky that they were so close to the harbour when it happened."

An ambulance was waiting to tend to the crew members when they arrived back on shore, suffering from the cold and a degree of shock.

However, they did not require any further treatment.

The Calina was the second fishing boat to be lost off the Western Isles in just over a week.

One fisherman died and five others were rescued when the Radiant - one of the biggest and most modern boats in the Scottish fleet - sank eight days ago.