The U.S. Coast Guard is urgently combing the waters off Massachusetts in search of survivors after a commercial fishing vessel, carrying seven individuals, including a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) observer, went down 25 miles off Cape Ann on Friday.
At around 6:50 a.m. local time, Coast Guard personnel received a distress signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) linked to the 72-foot fishing boat named Lily Jean.
Despite attempts to communicate with the vessel, the Coast Guard received no reply. As a result, officials issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) to alert nearby vessels.
The USCG Northeast District swiftly deployed a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter team from Air Station Cape Cod, along with a boat crew from Station Gloucester, to scour the area for any signs of life.
A USCG MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod is actively involved in the search for individuals who may have survived the sinking of the fishing boat off Cape Ann, Massachusetts. (Getty Images)
Additionally, the Coast Guard Cutter Thunder Bay has been rerouted to aid in this critical search operation.
Rescue crews found debris near the location where the EPIRB was activated, along with a body and an unoccupied life raft.
The Coast Guard said crews will continue with its search and rescue response.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the state has offered its full support.
“I’m heartbroken over the devastating news out of Gloucester about the sinking of the Lily Jean and have offered our full support to Mayor Lundberg, Harbormaster Lucido and the Coast Guard,” Healey wrote in a statement. “I am praying for the crew, and my heart goes out to their loved ones and all Gloucester fishing families during this awful time.
“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,” she added.
Commercial fishing boats docked in Gloucester Harbor, Mass. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
The boat’s captain, Gus Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men,” highlighting a fishing expedition in dangerous weather conditions, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, angled for haddock, lobster and flounder, according to the report.
Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, told the outlet he was friends with the missing captain.
It is unclear if there are any survivors. (Google Maps)
“He’s a person that has a big smile, and he gives you a warm embrace when he sees you,” Tarr told the AP. “He is very, very skilled at what he does. … I’m going to make a prediction. Tonight, tomorrow and the days that follow, you’re going to see strength. The strength that has made this the most historic fishing port in the United States of America.”
Gloucester, Massachusetts, is a coastal city about 30 miles north of Boston, on Cape Ann.
