A fifth-generation fisherman, a young fisheries observer and a father-and-son crew team were among the seven victims of a tragic maritime disaster in a historic Massachusetts fishing town. They all lost their lives when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank off Gloucester, America’s oldest port.
The sinking is the latest in a series of maritime tragedies to hit Gloucester and its tight-knit fishing community. The city’s fishing industry, immortalized in the book and film The Perfect Storm, is deeply rooted in a more than 400-year history marked by both resilience and recurring losses.
What did the US Coast Guard say?
U.S. Coast Guard officials announced Monday that they have identified all seven victims who died when a commercial fishing vessel sank in the frigid Atlantic without allegedly making a first call. An investigation into the incident has begun.
The Coast Guard said in a statement: “A formal investigation at the district level consists of a Coast Guard investigating officer receiving evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures relating to a recent marine casualty.” He added: “This type of investigation is initiated for incidents of significant regional importance or those that may reveal wider issues with a class of vessels or an area of technical concern.”
The Coast Guard said search teams discovered a debris field near where the alert came from, along with a body in the water and an unmanned lifeboat.
The victims include the ship’s captain, Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, and crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, according to the Coast Guard. Also on board was Jada Samitt, a federal fisheries observer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There were no survivors.
Sanfilippo was a well-known figure in Gloucester’s fishing community. The vessel, Lily Jean, was featured along with Sanfilippo and his crew in a 2012 episode of the History Channel series Nor’Easter Men. Sanfilippo was a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, operating from Gloucester and Georges Bank. The show featured crew working long hours in treacherous conditions, often spending up to 10 days at sea harvesting haddock, lobster and halibut.
Meanwhile, Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo’s, said he personally knows 25 people who have been lost at sea. He noted that harsh winter conditions can make operations difficult even for experienced sailors. “When you’re out on the ocean, things happen very quickly,” Sawyer said.
Gloucester Mayor Paul Lundberg said the names of those who perished on the Lily Jean will be listed on the city’s memorial to honor the thousands of fishermen lost at sea over the years.