The tragic sinking of a fishing vessel off the Massachusetts coast has left seven individuals identified and mourned. The 72-foot fishing boat, named the Lily Jean, was under the command of Captain Accursio ‘Gus’ Sanfilippo when it met its fate early Friday morning, just before 7 a.m.

Captain Sanfilippo and his vessel gained some fame after being featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel’s show ‘Nor’Easter Men,’ which highlighted the challenges faced by those who fish in the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic.

In the aftermath of the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard has released the names of those who were onboard the ill-fated ship. Among the deceased were five crew members: the father-son pair of Paul Beal Sr and Paul Beal Jr, along with John Rousanidis, 33, Freeman Short, and Sean Therrien, 44.

Also lost in the tragedy was Jada Samitt, a 22-year-old fisheries observer from NOAA, who was accompanying the crew as part of her duties monitoring the fishing activities for federal records.

The ship’s crew included father-son duo Paul Beal Sr and Paul Beal Jr, John Rousanidis, 33, Freeman Short, and Sean Therrien, 44.

Jada Samitt, a 22-year-old NOAA fisheries observer, was also onboard, officials said. 

‘This confirmation is very difficult for all of us,’ Massachusetts’ Senate minority leader Bruce Tarr said, The Boston Globe reported. 

‘It’s painful to read these names and think about what has transpired here.’

Therrien’s wife, Becky Carp, wrote on Facebook that she would be ‘so lost without him.’ 

Accursio ‘Gus’ Sanfilippo was captain of the 72-foot fishing boat, named the Lily Jean, when it sank on Friday just before 7am as all seven onboard are identified 

The 72-foot fishing boat, named the Lily Jean, sank on Friday just before 7am captained by Sanfilippo

The US Coast Guard has identified those who tragically went down with the ship as five crew members and a federal fisheries observer

‘My heart breaks you never think it’s going to ever happen to your family. Please hug your loved ones so much tighter for me tonight. Because I will never get to hug him again,’ Carp wrote. 

‘RIP to my best friend my soulmate we will be together again!!! Please watch over the boys and keep us safe.’

According to a GoFundMe for Therrien’s family, he left behind his wife and two sons, 23 and 17 years old, and was described as a ‘hardworking family man whose life revolved around the people he loved most.’

‘Those who knew Sean will remember his great sense of humor, his generous heart, and the pride he took in providing for his family,’ the fundraiser added. 

‘When he wasn’t working, he loved riding dirt bikes, four-wheeling, building and racing RC cars, and spending time with his kids—always finding ways to make people laugh and feel welcome.’ 

Rousanidis’ sister, Keri, wrote on Facebook that he ‘loved the sea more than anything.’

‘From a kid you were always in the water, you always said, “The sea brings me peace and that’s where I belong, fishing.” I hope you find that peace because you deserve it,’ she wrote.  

A GoFundMe for his family said: ‘He was an amazing brother, son, and uncle—a hard worker who never said no to anyone he met helping others when they needed it the most His kindness, determination, and generosity inspired everyone around him.’

‘John loved fishing, boxing, and enjoying life to the fullest he was very passionate about the sea he was a big dreamer always trying to conquer the unknown he had sympathy for others.’ 

John Rousanidis, 33, was one of the crew members onboard the ship went it sank on Friday

Freeman Short’s aunt, Kathy Noble, said: ‘Freeman was so many things in this life. He was a son, a great brother, a friend, a boyfriend, and above all, a son of God.’ Accoring to Noble, Short was a soldier and ‘more than just family’

Recent graduate Jada Samitt, a 22-year-old NOAA fisheries observer, was also onboard

Short’s aunt, Kathy Noble, said: ‘Freeman was so many things in this life. He was a son, a great brother, a friend, a boyfriend, and above all, a son of God.’ 

Accoring to Noble, Short was a soldier and ‘more than just family.’

In a statement, Samitt’s family said the recent graduate ‘loved these waters.’

‘We are devastated by her loss and the pure tragedy of the unthinkable, unimaginable events that took her from us far too early,’ the statement said, CBS News reported.  

‘It is with profound sadness and shattered hearts that we share the loss of our beloved Jada. She was vibrant and compassionate with an infectious smile and spirit. And, above all, she was brave and determined. 

‘She fiercely loved her friends and family. Today we are lost without her. Jada was on the Lily Jean that day because of her strong belief in her work, not only as an observer, but as someone who knew her important role as a crew member. She proved herself to be so on every trip, and conveyed to us how critical it was to protect the seas and fisheries. We could not be more proud of and grateful to her for it.’ 

Jackie Beal, daughter and sister to Paul Beal Sr and Jr, said the situation is an ‘unimaginable and actual living nightmare.’

‘My baby brother and my father are gone,’ she wrote on Facebook. ‘I’m trying just to find peace in any little aspect like they were together, they were right where they loved to be on a boat, doing what they did best.’

Jackie Beal, daughter and sister to Paul Beal Sr and Jr, said the situation is an ‘unimaginable and actual living nightmare’

Sean Therrien, 44, left behind his wife and two sons, 23 and 17 years old, and was described as a ‘hardworking family man whose life revolved around the people he loved most’

‘I fear this hole in my chest is never going away. I don’t know how to talk without crying or how to feel, I’m in a storm of rage and sadness and even anger sometimes wishing it was me an not them,’ she added. 

‘How and why is it I survived 15+ years of addiction made them worry about me an was not a great person an they were taken this way, just trying to make an honest living for there lives and family. Sometimes the world just makes no sense to me an this is one of those times. Good people taken way too early.’

Family of Paul Beal Sr and Jr created a GoFundMe for their family, and said: ‘While it still doesn’t feel real, the emotions still feel numbing, wishing it were all just a bad nightmare we could all wake up from. Gone too soon were a husband, grandfather, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, and great friends to many in the community.’

The cause of the Lily Jean’s disappearance remains a mystery, as the crew did not make a Mayday call – a distress signal used when a ship needs emergency assistance. 

US Coast Guard officials were instead notified by the boat’s beacon which is triggered when the vessel hits the water. 

A rescue mission for the lost crew was launched when the US Coast Guard received a radio beacon alert from the Lily Jean a little before 7am.

Officials issued an emergency alert after being unable to contact the Lily Jean’s crew.

Searchers found one body in the water and an empty life raft after covering a 1,000 square mile area with aircraft, cutters and small boats. 

The cause of the Lily Jean’s disappearance remains a mystery, as the crew did not make a Mayday call – a distress signal used when a ship needs emergency assistance

The Coast Guard said that suspending the search on Saturday was ‘an incredibly difficult and painstaking decision’ which was only made after rescue teams determined that all reasonable search efforts had been exhausted

They worked through the night while contending with below-freezing temperatures and icy sea sprays.  

Those on board were all presumed dead, as water temperatures reached 12F, and the water temperature was around 39F. 

The Coast Guard said that suspending the search on Saturday was ‘an incredibly difficult and painstaking decision,’ which was only made after rescue teams determined that all reasonable search efforts had been exhausted. 

Jamie Frederick, the Coast Guard’s sector Boston commander, said: ‘Based on the totality of circumstances, the frigid water and air temperatures and the time since the vessel sank, I believe there is no longer a reasonable expectation that anyone could have survived this long, even if they had been wearing a survival suit.’

The commander also said that a formal marine casualty investigation has begun, but so far, there has been ‘no single clue’ about what caused the Lily Jean to sink. 

Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said he knows Sanfilippo from the captain’s early days in commercial fishing and knew him as a hard worker from a fishing family.

‘Commercial fishing is a really tough living to begin with, and it’s as safe as the elements and all of the things allow it to be,’ Giacalone said. ‘Gus was a very seasoned, experienced fisherman.’

Gloucester Council President Tony Gross, a retired fisherman who had joined other elected officials at the harbor in the city after learning of the missing boat, called it a ‘huge tragedy for this community.’