US Coast Guard Suspends Search For Missing Crew Of Fishing Vessel Lily Jean

The US Coast Guard has suspended the search for missing crewmembers from the fishing vessel Lily Jean after extensive search efforts off the coast of Massachusetts produced no further results.

The decision was taken on Saturday morning after Coast Guard crews searched continuously for more than 24 hours.

The 72-foot commercial fishing vessel was reported to have seven people on board when an emergency position-indicating radio beacon was activated early on Friday morning, about 25 miles off Cape Ann.

During the operation, Coast Guard air and surface crews found a debris field near the beacon’s reported location.

One unresponsive individual was recovered from the water, and the vessel’s life raft was located deployed but empty. No additional crewmembers were found.

The Coast Guard said search teams carried out coordinated search patterns based on weather conditions, sea state and available evidence.

The operation covered around 1,047 square miles and involved several aircraft, cutters and small boats.

After discussions between search and rescue mission coordinators and on-scene commanders, the Coast Guard concluded that all reasonable efforts to locate the missing crewmembers had been completed.

The commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston said the decision to suspend the search was extremely difficult and expressed sympathy for the families and friends of the crew, as well as for the Gloucester community.

Officials confirmed that the Lily Jean did not send a mayday call before the incident.

The Coast Guard was alerted by the vessel’s emergency beacon, which automatically transmits a distress signal when it enters the water.

The vessel was returning through the cold Atlantic towards Gloucester, Massachusetts, at the time. The identities of the recovered individual and those still missing have not been released.

The Lily Jean was known in the fishing community and had previously appeared in the History Channel miniseries Nor’easter Men, which focused on fishing vessels from several New England ports.

A Massachusetts state senator told US media that the vessel’s skipper was widely respected, highly skilled and came from a long fishing tradition, adding that the loss has deeply affected the local port community.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she was heartbroken by the incident and offered prayers for the crew and their families.

Gloucester, America’s oldest working fishing port, has a long maritime history and was also the setting for the film The Perfect Storm, which portrayed the loss of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail.

The US Coast Guard has confirmed that the cause of the incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard Northeast District.

Reference: USCG