Rescuers pull 4th and final crewman alive from cargo ship

Coast Guard rescuers have pulled four trapped men alive from a capsized cargo ship, drilling into the hull's steel plates to extract the crew members more than a day after their vessel overturned while leaving a Georgia port.

All four were reported as being alert and in relatively good condition and were taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

"Best day of my 16-year career," Lt. Lloyd Heflin, who was coordinating the effort for the Coast Guard, wrote in a text message to The Associated Press.

Three of the South Korean crew members came out on Monday afternoon. The fourth man, who was trapped in a separate compartment, emerged three hours later.

The rescues followed nearly 36 hours of work after the Golden Ray, a giant ship that carries automobiles, rolled onto its side early on Sunday as it was leaving Brunswick, bound for Baltimore.

"All crew members are accounted for," Coast Guard Southeast wrote on Twitter. "Operations will now shift fully to environmental protection, removing the vessel and resuming commerce."