‘Heartbroken’: Healey, Driscoll send sympathies to Mass. city after fishing boat tragedy
Hours after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for survivors of a fishing boat that sank off Cape Ann on Saturday, Gov. Maura Healey thanked rescue workers and said she joins the Gloucester community in mourning the loss.
"We are heartbroken. With the U.S. Coast Guard's decision to suspend its search for the Lily Jean, we join the families, fishing community and City of Gloucester in grieving seven brave individuals who were taken far too soon," Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a joint statement.
"Today, our prayers are with these families and this community, for the lives lost, the memories they hold, and the strength it will take to face the days ahead," the state's top two elected leaders said.
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.
They located a debris field near where the alert was sent along with a body in the water. The Coast Guard said it continued to be in search and rescue mode Friday evening for the boat that fished for cod, haddock and pollock.
They suspended the search on Saturday , saying the effort "yielded no additional results."
In their joint statement, Healey and Driscoll said that "Gloucester and its people are close to both of our hearts. We have seen how the ocean isn't just a livelihood here; it's family, it's history, it's identity. The people of Gloucester and our fishing communities know what it means to head out before dawn, wait for a safe return, and carry both pride and worry at the same time."
The news of the sinking "now ripples through this community and brings up the hardest memories for so many fishing families. Please know, you are not alone. Today, and in the weeks and months to come, Massachusetts will stand with you, not just in words but in actions," they continued.
State Sen. Bruce E. Tarr, R-1st Essex/Middlesex, a friend of the boat's skipper, said residents of his North Shore district were "deeply appreciative of the ongoing and courageous efforts of the United States Coast Guard, whose personnel continue to search through the night, in dangerous conditions, for the crew of the F/V Lily Jean ."
"Every day, men and women leave ports like Gloucester to harvest the bounty of the ocean for the people of our state and our nation, carrying with them the very real risk of not returning home," Tarr, the top Republican in the state Senate, said.
There were seven people aboard the boat at the time, which was heading back to Gloucester after a fishing trip. One of the seven people aboard may have been a federal fisheries observer rather than a crew member, Tarr said Friday.
All three elected leaders collectively thanked the Coast Guard, local police and first responders for the work they had done since news of the sinking became public on Friday.
"Massachusetts stands with Gloucester, and we will continue to stand with the families in the difficult days ahead," Healey and Driscoll said.
Healey urged those who wish to access resources or make a donation to visit fishingpartnership.org .
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