One person is dead and six others are missing after the fishing vessel Lily Jean sank off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts on Friday morning.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the 72-foot boat activated its emergency beacon 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann Friday at about 6:50 a.m. An extensive search has been underway since then.
Coast Guard finds debris field
A Coast Guard helicopter and boat were launched and found a “debris field” and a body near that area. The water temperature there is about 40 degrees.
The Coast Guard’s Timothy Jones said there was no Mayday distress broadcast made by the boat. “Once we arrived on scene, the ship was no longer on the surface, and it was just the remnants of any floating debris that would come off the boat as it would sink,” Jones said.
A life raft from the boat was also found, but it was empty. The Coast Guard said the person who was recovered from the water was not wearing a survival suit.
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“Our understanding is they were coming back in full of fish,” Jones said. “We understand that they might have had a casualty to their fishing gear which required them to come in to fix it before they could go back out to do more fishing.”
The identity of the person who was recovered and those who are missing have not been released.
“The skipper of this vessel is well known to all of us,” said state Sen. Bruce Tarr. “He’s one of the kindest, nicest individuals on the face of this earth. He is very skilled, his family comes from a tradition of fishing, and he is one of those in this port that is considered among the best.”
Search to continue throughout the night
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, Coast Guard cutters and a fixed wing aircraft were involved in the search.
“We will continue to search throughout the night with the cutter and hoping to find some additional folks as we continue,” Jones said.
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“I just want to say as a commercial fisherman, we share a brotherhood out there that it’s hard for some people to understand,” said Al Cottone, Director of Fisheries in Gloucester. “This one is very personal to me, and I don’t think I can add any more than that.”
In a statement, Gov. Maura Healey said she is “heartbroken” about the sinking of the Lily Jean.
“I am praying for the crew, and my heart goes out to their loved ones and all Gloucester fishing families during this awful time,” Healey said. “Fishermen and fishing vessels are core to the history, economy and culture of Gloucester and Cape Ann, and this tragedy is felt all across the state.”
Gloucester is about 35 miles northeast of Boston.
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