{"id":2559909,"date":"2026-01-31T16:39:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-people-missing-from-fishing-vessel-that-sank-off-massachusetts\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T16:45:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:45:36","slug":"coast-guard-suspends-search-for-people-missing-from-fishing-vessel-that-sank-off-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-people-missing-from-fishing-vessel-that-sank-off-massachusetts\/","title":{"rendered":"Coast Guard suspends search for people missing from fishing vessel that sank off Massachusetts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcoast-guard-suspends-search-for-people-missing-from-fishing-vessel-that-sank-off-massachusetts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2559909&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for seven crew members who were aboard the 72-foot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/1-rescued-in-oregon-boat-fire\/\" title=\"1 rescued in Oregon boat fire\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-young-men-and-the-sea\/\" title=\"The Young Men and the Sea\">commercial fishing<\/a> vessel<\/a> Lily Jean after it sank about 25 miles off Cape ann, Massachusetts. Responders found a debris field, an empty life raft and one body; the vessel\u2019s emergency beacon alerted authorities but no mayday call was received. Crews searched roughly 1,000 square miles over 24 hours using aircraft, cutters and small boats before concluding that all reasonable search efforts had been tired.Frigid temperatures, stormy conditions and approaching nor\u2019easter weather\u2014with high winds, freezing spray, 7\u201310 foot seas and water temperatures near 39\u00b0F\u2014made nighttime search and rescue extremely tough.The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the sinking; officials have not released the names of the missing. The Lily Jean\u2019s captain, Gus Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation Gloucester fisherman featured on a History channel episode, and his crew left a grieving community that honors a long, sometimes tragic fishing heritage. NOAA said a fishery observer was aboard and suspended observer deployments for the region until after the weather clears.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Coast Guard suspends search for people missing from fishing vessel that sank off Massachusetts<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2489762\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> The U.S. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/coast-guard\">Coast Guard<\/a> on Saturday suspended the search for seven people who were aboard a commercial fishing vessel that sank off the coast of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/massachusetts\">Massachusetts<\/a> in rough, frigid waters.<\/p>\n<p>The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission early Friday after receiving an alert from the 72-foot Lily Jean about 25 miles off Cape Ann. Searchers found a debris field near where the alert was sent along with a body in the water and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4442013\/democrats-challenge-fitzpatrick-pa-01\/\">Who are the Democrats running to challenge Fitzpatrick in PA-01?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4442000\/minnesota-judge-refuse-block-operation-metro-surge-minneapolis\/\">Minnesota judge refuses to block Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4438744\/nigel-farage-in-charge-tory-defections-reform-mount\/\">Nigel Farage says &#8216;It&#8217;s time I was in charge&#8217; as Tory defections to Reform UK mount<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Crews covered about 1,000 square miles (2,589 square kilometers) using multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period. However, after consultation between search and rescue mission coordinators and on-scene commanders, the Coast Guard announced Saturday that it had determined that all reasonable search efforts for the missing crewmembers had been exhausted.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4442000\/minnesota-judge-refuse-block-operation-metro-surge-minneapolis\/\">MINNESOTA JUDGE REFUSES TO BLOCK OPERATION METRO SURGE IN MINNEAPOLIS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Officials said there wasn&rsquo;t a mayday call from Lily Jean as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts, America&rsquo;s oldest fishing port. The Coast Guard was notified by the boat&rsquo;s beacon that alerts when it hits the water.<\/p>\n<p>The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the sinking. Officials did not immediately release the names of those who were lost.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are deep in sorrow, but we are a strong community, and we will rise, we will rise to this occasion,&rdquo; Republican State Sen. Bruce Tarr said during a emotional news conference Saturday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-weather-conditions-made-search-difficult\">Weather conditions made search difficult<\/h2>\n<p>The Coast Guard&rsquo;s Sector Boston Commander Jamie Frederick said frigid temperatures, stormy conditions and the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >vast ocean made finding survivors<\/a> at night difficult, a task made more challenging with&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/freezing-temperatures-hypothermia-mississippi-tennessee-6ae30d4be75522f7c0cd3566ba664957\">a nor&rsquo;easter<\/a>&nbsp;approaching the East Coast this weekend. Searchers dealt with 7- to 10-foot seas and freezing ocean spray , Frederick said.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4441743\/epstein-files-show-musk-planned-to-visit-island-despite-denial-of-ties\/\">EPSTEIN FILES SHOW MUSK PLANNED TO VISIT INFAMOUS ISLAND FOR &lsquo;WILDEST PARTY&rsquo; DESPITE DENIAL OF TIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the time of the emergency alert, the National Weather Service said wind speeds out at sea were around 27 mph (24 knots) with waves around four feet high. It was 12 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 11 degrees Celsius) with water temperatures about 39 F (4 C.)<\/p>\n<p>Frederick said there was &ldquo;no single clue&rdquo; to lead officials to determine what happened to the Lily Jean so far.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The debris looked like anything that would be loose on a deck, things that float off a fishing deck,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-another-tragedy-befalls-fishing-town\">Another tragedy befalls fishing town<\/h2>\n<p>It is the latest maritime tragedy to befall Gloucester and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/male-college-student-complains-about-cisgender-men-installing-radiator-in-his-dorm-room\/\" title=\"Male College Student Complains About \u2018Cisgender Men\u2019 Installing Radiator In His Dorm Room\">close-knit community<\/a> of people in the fishing business. The city that inspired &ldquo;The Perfect Storm&rdquo; is tied to its fishing heritage in a way that has brought 400 years of history and, sometimes, tragedy. That book and movie were inspired by the FV Andrea Gail, which went missing at sea in 1991.<\/p>\n<p>Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, described the fishing community as a brotherhood that was grieving and in shock.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4441455\/republicans-name-sanctuary-city-demands-fight-ice-conduct\/\">GOP ZEROES IN ON &lsquo;SANCTUARY CITY&rsquo; DEMANDS IN FIGHT OVER ICE CONDUCT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s just heartbroken,&rdquo; Giacalone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday. &ldquo;To have that many lives lost all at once, we haven&rsquo;t seen that in a long time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paul Lundberg, Gloucester&rsquo;s mayor, said the names of those on the Lily Jean would be added to a city memorial honoring thousands of fishermen who have been lost at sea.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-captain-is-a-beloved-fisherman\">Captain is a beloved fisherman<\/h2>\n<p>The Lily Jean, its captain, Gus Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show &ldquo;Nor&rsquo;Easter Men.&rdquo; Sanfilippo is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, fishing out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the Georges Bank. The crew is shown working in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maui-officials-finally-release-list-of-people-who-are-still-missing\/\" title=\"Maui Officials Finally Reveal Missing Persons List\">dangerous weather conditions<\/a> for hours on end, spending as many as 10 days at sea on one trip fishing for haddock, lobster and flounder.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We loved each other,&rdquo; Giacalone said about his relationship with Sanfilippo. &ldquo;He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my younger brother. To know the tragedy of this and to know the kind of character that Gus had, he&rsquo;d be mortified to know that these lives were all lost.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4441322\/fact-check-al-gore-inconvenient-truth-20th-anniversary\/\">JOE CONCHA: AN INCONVENIENT FACT CHECK: AL GORE&rsquo;S INCONVENIENT TRUTH ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-noaa-had-observer-on-vessel\">NOAA had observer on vessel<\/h2>\n<p>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a fishery observer was on board the vessel. Fishery&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/0edf6d464cd646bbb9315917790126a4\">observers<\/a>&nbsp;are workers who collect data on board fishing boats for the government to use to inform regulations.<\/p>\n<p>NOAA Fisheries said observer deployments would be suspended until after midnight Wednesday due to the sinking and the weather in the Northeast.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-commercial-fishing-is-dangerous\">Commercial fishing is dangerous<\/h2>\n<p>Deep-sea fishing in New England can always be hazardous, but it can be especially dangerous in the winter because of high waves, frigid temperatures and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo, said he has known 25 people who were lost at sea. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4040585\/where-house-senate-retirements-stand-2026\/\">HERE&rsquo;S WHERE HOUSE AND SENATE RETIREMENTS STAND IN 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Things happen very quickly when you&rsquo;re out on the ocean,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was aware that there was a fishery observer on board the vessel. Fishery&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/0edf6d464cd646bbb9315917790126a4\">observers<\/a>&nbsp;are workers who collect data on board fishing boats for the government to use to inform regulations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coast Guard ends search for 7 lost fishermen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2559910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WEX_USCG_TEXAS-109.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[41155,72448,33705,52278],"class_list":["post-2559909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-coast-guard","tag-fishing-vessel-sinking","tag-missing-persons","tag-search-and-rescue-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WEX_USCG_TEXAS-109.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2559909"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2559922,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2559909\/revisions\/2559922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2559910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2559909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2559909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2559909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}