November 2, 1945
Fisherman Swept Off Dragger's Deck
Virgil O'Brien, Old Glory's
Cook Lost
Wednesday Evening on Cashe's Bank
Swept overboard by a huge comber which raked
the auxiliary fishing dragger Old Glory off Cashe's, 60 miles
from here early Wednesday evening, Virgil O'Brien, 40 years, was lost at
sea.
He was on his second trip as cook of the Old
Glory which is commanded by Capt. Anino Frontiero, of this
port. Capt. Frontiero and his men braved the fierce elements in
cruising the area for more than an hour but never saw a trace of the cook. The
American flag on the dragger was at half mast when the craft with 20,000 pounds of redfish
arrived at Independent Fish company wharf, off Railway avenue, about 5 o'clock yesterday
afternoon.
O'Brien had previously been
cook aboard the auxiliary dragger Cigar Joe, Capt. Joe
Frontiero, of this port but left recently to go with the Old Glory.
They left here last Saturday night. They ran into heavy weather off Cashe's
Wednesday, the wind blowing between 35 and 40 miles an hour, and whipping up strong seas
which swept over the dragger.
According to the skipper, O'Brien
was coming to deck from his galley to relieve the wheelsman to allow the latter to get his
supper about 6.16 o'clock Wednesday evening. O'Brien hollered to
the wheelsman and just then, a sea struck the craft, and O'Brien was lost
to sight. He was never seen afterward, said the skipper. |
