The U.S. Coast Guard identified seven people presumed dead after the 72-foot fishing vessel Lily Jean sank about 25 miles off Cape Ann. An EPIRB alert at about 6:50 a.m. prompted a 24-hour search across roughly 1,047 square miles, which recovered debris, one body and an empty life raft. The victims include Captain Accursio "Gus" Sanfilippo, six crew members and NOAA observer Jada Samitt. A district-level Coast Guard investigation with NTSB participation has been launched and may take months.
Coast Guard Identifies Seven Presumed Dead After Gloucester Fishing Vessel Lily Jean Sinks Off Massachusetts
Coast Guard identifies 7 victims on board Gloucester commercial fishing boat that sank off Massachusetts
The U.S. Coast Guard has identified seven people who are presumed dead after the 72-foot commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean sank on Friday in icy waters about 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
A crucifix, made by a friend of the captain of the fishing boat Lily Jean, is displayed in Gloucester, Mass., on the pier at the homeport of the commercial trawler that sank off the coast with seven people on board.(AP Images)
Coast Guard watchstanders received an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alert at about 6:50 a.m. on Friday, registered to the Lily Jean. Crews tried to contact the vessel; when there was no response they issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) to alert nearby vessels and aircraft.
Christine Porper of Gloucester, Mass., pauses at the fisherman's memorial, Monday, near the homeport of the fishing boat Lily Jean that sank with seven crew on board.
Search and Rescue: Over roughly 24 hours, multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats searched an area of approximately 1,047 square miles. Search teams located debris near the EPIRB activation site, recovered one body and found an unoccupied life raft that had been deployed.
Authorities are investigating after a fishing boat disappeared off the coast of Gloucester, Mass., on Friday.
Search and rescue coordinators, on-scene commanders and the Coast Guard concluded on Saturday that all reasonable search efforts for the remaining crew had been exhausted.
Victims Identified: The crew members presumed dead are Captain Accursio "Gus" Sanfilippo; crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien; and NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt. Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, and members of his crew were profiled in a 2012 episode of the History Channel series Nor’Easter Men, which documented a hazardous-weather fishing expedition, The Associated Press reported.
Formal Investigation Underway
Rear Adm. Michael Platt, commander of the Coast Guard’s Northeast District, has ordered a district-level formal investigation into the incident. Lt. Cmdr. Brett Igo, the Northeast District investigation oversight coordinator, will serve as the lead investigating officer and is responsible for receiving evidence and testimony under formal procedures. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will also participate, and depending on findings the case could be referred to a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI).
"The purpose of a Coast Guard investigation is to identify measures that can improve the safety of life and property at sea, not to assign civil or criminal blame," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The investigation is expected to take several months to complete. The Coast Guard declined further comment to Fox News Digital. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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