BOSTON — US Coast Guard officials said Monday that they have identified the seven victims who died when a commercial fishing vessel sank in the cold waters off Gloucester, Massachusetts, without a distress call.
On Saturday, the Coast Guard halted its search for those aboard the Lily Jane. Authorities launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving an alert from the 72-foot-long (22-meter) vessel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off the historic Cape Ann Peninsula. They have since launched an investigation.
Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the boat’s captain, and the crew consisted of Paul Bell Sr., Paul Bell Jr., John Rosanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, the Coast Guard said in identifying the sinking victims for the first time Monday. The Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Jada Summitt, a fisheries monitor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was also aboard the ship. No one survived.
“The formal district-level investigation will consist of a Coast Guard investigating officer who will receive evidence and testimony using official rules and procedures regarding a recent maritime incident,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “This type of investigation is launched in incidents of great regional importance or those that may reveal broader issues related to the class of ship or areas of technical interest.”
It is the latest marine tragedy to befall Gloucester and its close-knit community of fishing workers. The city that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” is tied to 400 years of fishing history and, at times, tragedy. “The Perfect Storm” is inspired by the FV Andrea Gail ship that disappeared at sea in 1991.
Sanfilippo was well known in the community. Lily Jean, Sanfilippo and his crew appeared in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men.” The captain is described as a fifth generation commercial fisherman, fishing out of Gloucester, on George’s Bank. The crew is shown working in dangerous weather conditions for hours on end, spending up to 10 days at sea on a single trip fishing for haddock, lobster and flounder.
“We loved each other,” Vito Giacalone, president of the Gloucester Fishing Community Conservation Fund, said of his relationship with Sanfilippo. “He treated me like an older brother and I treated him like my younger brother. To know the tragedy of this and to know the kind of character Gus had, he would be ashamed to know that these lives were all lost.”
Gloucester Mayor Paul Lundberg said the names of the people on board the Lily Jane would be added to a memorial in the city to honor the thousands of fishermen lost at sea.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement that Summit was a fisheries observer and was assigned to collect data from the vessel’s catch. Fisheries Observers They are workers on fishing boats who collect data that the government uses to formulate regulations.
NOAA Fisheries said the deployment of observers would be suspended until after midnight Wednesday due to flooding and weather in the Northeast.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the Jada family, the families of the six fishermen, the NOAA observer community, and all those affected. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and other fishing vessels that assisted in the search,” NOAA said in its statement.
Deep sea fishing in New England can always be dangerous, but it can be especially dangerous in the winter due to high waves, frigid temperatures, and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo, said he knew 25 people lost at sea. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.
“Things happen very quickly when you’re in the ocean,” he said.
The Coast Guard said searchers found a debris field near where the alert was issued, as well as a body in the water and an empty life raft.
Crews covered about 1,000 square miles (2,589 km2) using aircraft, cutters and small boats on a 24-hour basis. However, after consultation between search and rescue mission coordinators and commanders at the scene, the Coast Guard announced Saturday that it had determined that all reasonable search efforts for the missing crew members had been exhausted.
Officials said there was no distress call from Lily Jean as she navigated the frozen Atlantic Ocean on her way home to Gloucester. The Coast Guard was notified by a beacon from the boat that alerted when it hit the water.
Icy temperatures and stormy conditions made it difficult to find survivors at night, a task made even more difficult by the Coast Guard Sector Boston, said Jimmie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston. nor’easter It approaches the East Coast over the weekend. Researchers dealt with waves between 7 and 10 feet high and freezing ocean spray, Frederick said. ___
Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.