November 4, 1991
Swordfishing Boat Missing, Overdue
The Coast Guard continued searching today for
a fishing boat due back in Gloucester last Friday from a trip to the Grand Banks off
Newfoundland, Canada. The 70-foot Andrea Gail was supposed
to have returned to port by Saturday with its crew of six fishermen. Several Gloucester
fishermen were said to be aboard the vessel, but Coast Guard officials were withholding
crew members' names this morning pending notification of their families.
The vessel has not been heard from since Thursday when it was reported to be 180 miles
east-northeast of Canada's Sable Island. The missing vessel was reported to be
encountering 30-foot seas and 50 to 80-know winds kicked up by the northeaster that
devastated coastal New England last week. "We have hope the boat is OK and it's
just lost its communication."
The Coast Guard has been searching for the Andrea Gail for three
days. Today a Coast Guard cutter and long-range airplane were assisting four U. S.
Coast Guard and one Navy craft.
November 5, 1991
Andrea Gail still
missing; hunt goes on
The search for the Andrea Gail
continued today, six days after the Gloucester fishing vessel was reported overdue from a
trip to the Grand Banks off Canada...The Andrea Gail was
carrying a six-man crew. The fishermen were David Sullivan and Robert
Shatford of Gloucester, William Tyne, Dale Murphy and Michael
Moran of Bradenton Beach, Fla., and Alfred Pierre of New York
City.
The Andrea Gail left Gloucester on Sept. 20 for a swordfishing
trip to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. The vessel was fishing with a sister
vessel, the Hannah Borden, both of which are owned by Robert
Brown. Brown said yesterday that the Andrea Gail began
heading back to Gloucester while the Hannah Borden stayed on the
fishing grounds.
They were officially reported overdue on Nov. 1, but was feared in trouble two days
earlier. On October 31st and November 1st the Canadian Coast Guard searched the area
but found no trace of the Andrea Gail. On November 1st,
the U. S. Coast Guard began checking ports from Woods Hole to Cape Breton, Canada.
On November 2nd, a U. S. Coast Guard airplane searched 21,000 square miles.
The search intensified the next two days, with five airplanes from the Canadian and U. S.
Coast Guards searching 9,670 square miles on Sunday and another 18,000 square miles
Monday. The search area Tuesday was 18,500 square miles. However no signal
from the Andrea Gail was picked up by the Coast Guard.
November 6, 1991
Andrea Gail
Transmitter Discovered
An inactive emergency transmitter form the Andrea
Gail was recovered on Canada's Sable Island yesterday, 10 days after the
missing Gloucester fishing vessel was last heard from
The Coast Guard reported finding the emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) in
the off position, meaning that it would not automatically begin emitting a signal on
contact with the sea.
The beacon was the third piece of debris from the Andrea Gail
found since authorities began looking for the vessel seven days ago. All three
objects were positively identified as belonging to the Andrea Gail.
But the Coast Guard maintains that all could have been washed overboard in rough
seas.
The fact the beacon was not in the "armed" position - ready to transmit a signal
to satellites upon hitting the water - may mean the crew ran into a serious problem.
If they had time to prepare for some trouble, they might have put it into an on
position.
November 7, 1991
Still No Sign in Search For Andrea
Gail
The Coast Guard continued to search the
Canadian coastline today for the Gloucester fishing vessel Andrea Gail,
whose six-man crew has not been heard from in 10 days.
On November 5, a propane tank and longline beacon from the 70-foot Andrea Gail
were found on Sable Island, about 120 miles southeast of Nova Scotia. The Coast
Guard maintained that the gear could have been swept overboard in rough weather and that
the debris did not necessarily indicate that the boat had sunk.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service reports another important coastal storm is likely
to develop along the Carolinas tomorrow and tomorrow night and reach the New England coast
Sunday, and could have significant impact on coastal communities.
November 11, 1991
Andrea Gail
Presumed Lost
The Andrea Gail and
its six-man crew are presumed lost at sea following a seven-day Coast Guard search for the
missing Gloucester fishing vessel. The Coast Guard called off its search Friday
night, 11 days after the crew of the Andrea Gail reported
encountering 30-foot seas and 50- to 60-knot winds off Canada during a nasty North
Atlantic northeaster. The crew has not been heard from since.
After reviewing it and taking into account the water temperature and other weather
factors, the Coast Guard felt the probability of survival was minimal. The water
temperature was 46° F .
Those lost on the Andrea Gail were:
David Sullivan
Robert Shatford
William Tyne
Dale Murphy
Michael Moran
Alfred Pierre
The long white building in the background is
the Crow's Nest.
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