800-Pound Turtle Freed From Lobster Trap In East Hampton

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- An 800-pound Leatherback sea turtle that became entangled in a lobster trap in East Hampton has been set free.

The 5-foot-long reptile got entangled off Gardiners Island around 3 p.m. Sunday.

Scientists from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation responded after getting a call from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The turtle quickly dove under the water and swam away one it was freed from the lobster trap, the Riverhead Foundation said.

The members of the Coast Guard that assisted with the rescued nicknamed the turtle "Oriskany," a U.S. aircraft carrier that was sunk in May 2006 and is now an artificial reef, the Riverhead Foundation said.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)