GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A coalition of authorities is deploying technology to try to find the remains of a fishing boat that sank off Massachusetts last month, killing all seven people on board. But winter weather and ocean conditions have so far slowed their efforts.
The Lily Jean, a 72-foot (22-meter) vessel, was returning to port to repair its fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters near the historic fishing port of Gloucester early on January 30. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Massachusetts Environmental Police, are working together to try to locate the wreckage of the ship and possibly recover the bodies of the deceased, officials said Wednesday.
The Lily Jean sank in more than 300 feet of water and was desolate during the winter. Environmental police have deployed sidescan sonar to try to collect data and detect anomalies on the seafloor, officials said. They said they also hope to be able to send remote-controlled vehicles to the site to collect photos and videos, but so far the ocean has made that challenging.
Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, said officials would provide updates to communities still grieving the victims.
“One of the most haunting things about grief or loss at sea is not knowing,” Tarr said at a news conference Wednesday. “Answering these questions requires a monumental effort.”
The Coast Guard initially launched a search and rescue mission after receiving an alert from a vessel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off Cape Ann. The Coast Guard said searchers found debris near where the alert was raised, as well as a body in the water and an empty life raft. The search was suspended the next day, after which the community began to rally around the victims’ families.
Gloucester is America’s oldest seaport and is known for its tight-knit fishing community. The book and film The Perfect Storm were inspired by FV Andrea Gail who was lost at sea in 1991.
Coast Guard officials identified the victims of the sinking of the Lily Jean as Captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo and crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien. Also on board was NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.
Ricky Beale, brother of Paul Beale Sr., said at a news conference Wednesday that he hopes the investigation will help community families better understand what happened. He also encouraged anyone following the investigation not to spread false information about the investigation.
“So far, and hopefully in the future, the investigation will give us some insight into what happened. But as of now, only God knows what happened that fateful morning,” Beale said.
Lily Jean, Sanfilippo and his crew appeared in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men.” The skipper is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman from George Banks, Gloucester. The crew was pictured working for hours on end in dangerous weather conditions, catching haddock, lobster and flounder offshore for 10 days.
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Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.
