Tag Archives: F/V Emmy Rose
Personal Locator Beacons improve the chance of rescue at sea
A PLB is a personal electronic device that transmits a survivor’s location on or in the water to the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking system during an emergency. It’s designed to be carried in a person’s life vest (or elsewhere on their body) and manually activated when the wearer is in distress. PLBs continuously update a survivor’s location. New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration and remembrance. Three years ago, on December 31, 2019, as the new year was being rung in across the lower 48 states, a tragedy was playing out in icy Alaskan waters. F/V Scandies Rose, with seven crew members aboard, capsized and sank before reaching safety. >click to read< Then, there is survivor John Aldridge, a crewmember of the 44-foot lobster 
vessel Anna Mary was last seen aboard the boat during his watch relief at 9 p.m., Tuesday, while the vessel was underway off Montauk, N.Y. How many times have you read of or heard of a fisherman going overboard, only to watch an unsuccessful chain of events involving fruitless search and rescue operations to see them become possible recovery operations, and predictably, abandoned after a period of time, dictated by estimates of rate of survival and sea conditions? Way too many.
NTSB Reiterates Call for Mandatory Personal Locator Beacons Following Investigation Into F/V Emmy Rose Sinking
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is reiterating calls for a personal locator beacon requirement following its investigation into the 2020 sinking of the F/V Emmy Rose that claimed the lives of four crew members off of Cape Cod. NTSB also reiterated an earlier safety recommendation to the Coast Guard to require all vessel personnel be provided with a personal locator beacon (PLB). NTSB issued that recommendation following the sinking of the cargo vessel El Faro in 2015 in which all 33 crewmembers perished. NTSB also reiterated the recommendation after the fishing vessel F/V Scandies Rose sank off Sutwik Island, Alaska, in 2019. Two of the vessel’s crewmembers were rescued; the other five were never found. >click to read< 10:37
Loose Hatch Cover May Have Caused the Loss of the F/V Emmy Rose
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that the capsizing of the fishing vessel F/V Emmy Rose, which went down with all hands off Massachusetts in late 2020, was likely due to an unsecured hatch cover on its lazarette, which could have allowed rapid flooding when water accumulated on deck. In the early hours of November 23, 2020, The Emmy Rose was under way off Provincetown, Massachusetts with about 50,000 pounds of fish in her holds. She was headed to Gloucester, with winds of 20 knots and following seas of about six feet in height. >click to read< 21:18
F/V Emmy Rose: Judge distributes nearly $1 million in damages to families of crew members
A federal judge has awarded nearly $1 million in damages to the families of four fishermen who died when the Portland-based Emmy Rose sank off the Massachusetts coast in 2020. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock wrote 33 pages about the loved ones left to grieve the tragedy and the difficult calculations involved in quantifying the loss. He said each man died “an unspeakably tragic and terrible death.” “Again, there is no evidence about how the vessel went down and it is possible that it sank suddenly and without warning, but it is more likely that there was some period of panic as the seamen worked in horrific conditions to avoid its and their awful demise,”,,, >click to read< 21:19
A year after sinking of Maine fishing boat, lawsuits near ruling, but questions remain
Next Tuesday makes exactly one year since a Portland-ported fishing boat, the F/V Emmy Rose, sank off the coast of Massachusetts, with all four crew later presumed dead. Also potentially within days, a federal judge is expected to rule in a case involving lawsuits by the crewmen’s families. The Emmy Rose, an 82-foot groundfish dragger, sank in the early morning of Nov. 23, 2020, about 25 miles northeast of Provincetown, Mass. There was no distress call from the vessel, only a signal at 1:30 a.m. from the boat’s emergency radio beacon, a device that automatically activates when a boat founders. >click to read< 08:31
F/V Emmy Rose: NTSB uses video, high-res photos in probe of sunken fishing vessel
Investigators trying to learn why a commercial fishing boat sank off Massachusetts nearly a year ago, taking the lives of all four crew members, are using some high-tech gadgetry in their probe, federal authorities said Wednesday. The 82-foot Portland, Maine, based F/V Emmy Rose went down early Nov. 23 as it was heading to port after a seven-day fishing trip,,, Authorities have previously said it was heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Emmy Rose was located in May, in an upright position with its outriggers deployed, in about 800 feet of water on the seafloor about 25 miles off Provincetown, >click to read< – NTSB releases new images of doomed F/V Emmy Rose – The National Transportation Safety Board has released some startling new images of a Portland, Maine based fishing vessel that sank on November 23, 2020 some 25 miles off the coast of Provincetown. >click here< 13:32
F/V Emmy Rose: Side Scan Sonar locates sunken fishing vessel off the Massachusetts Coast
It was a tragedy that claimed the lives of all the fishermen aboard the Portland, Maine-based boat: crew members Robert Blethen Jr., Jeff Matthews, Ethan Ward and Mike Porper. The four men were presumed dead and mourned by their loved ones at a candlelight vigil held two days after the 82-foot-long steel ship sank on Nov. 23, 2020. Now, roughly half a year after the Emmy Rose’s sinking, authorities announced they found the sunken fishing vessel following a search of around 5.5 square miles of the seafloor with side-scan sonar, a device used to detect objects on the bottom of the ocean. >click to read< , or >here<, 20:25
To honor our lost fishermen, we must act
Every time a Coast Guard crew embarks on a rescue mission to a commercial fishing vessel, we all want the same outcome – a successful rescue and safe return to shore. Maine communities know too well those outcomes vary. We rescued four fishermen in November 2018 after the Aaron & Melissa II sank 50 miles south of Rockland. Two years later, last November, we lost four fishermen when the Emmy Rose sank northeast of Provincetown. And a year ago this Saturday, Joe Nickerson and Christopher Pinkham perished when the Hayley Ann sank 47 miles southeast of Cape Elizabeth. >click to read< 08:14 More lobstermen in New England are wearing life jackets while they work – >click to read<
F/V Emmy Rose owner claims no responsibility for sinking of vessel
The Portland fishing vessel Emmy Rose sank in November, and according to a new limitation action in federal court, the owners of the boat say they shouldn’t be held responsible. A lawyer for Boat Aaron & Melissa, Inc. is asking the court to exonerate or limit the company’s liability. Four fishermen were lost, including three from Maine. Video, >click to read< 07:48
Mourners gathered, Families of lost fishermen remember a dedicated, hardy crew
Friends and relatives of four fishermen lost at sea gathered at the Portland Fish Pier on Saturday to remember a captain and crew who worked hard, loved their families and felt a deep connection to the sea. The Portland-based fishing vessel Emmy Rose sank off the coast of Massachusetts during a gale on Nov. 23, prompting a search by the U.S. Coast Guard that was later suspended. Robert Blethen Jr. of Georgetown, Jeff Matthews of Portland, Ethan Ward of Pownal, and Mike Porper of Gloucester, Massachusetts, are presumed lost at sea. At Saturday’s service, family members rose in turn to celebrate the life of each man, starting with the captain, Blethen, who went by Bobby. >click to read< 07:39
Family of fisherman lost at sea, Michael Porper Jr., thanks public
It’s been more than two weeks since Michael Porper Jr. was lost at sea, and his family continues to struggle with grief. The 38-year-old Gloucester native was among the four crewmen aboard the dragger F/V Emmy Rose when it went down early Nov. 23 off Provincetown. “It’s difficult, sometimes it’s really hard — just too much,” said his father, Michael. Porper said his son, known as Mikey, was born, raised and attended schools in Gloucester, and started working on fishing boats when he 15. “He really never stopped,” he added. “His great-grandfather was a famous fisherman, and he wanted want to be just like him,” he said, referring to Capt. Robert Porper, noted by author Gordon Thomas as a “highliner” in the fishery, his vessels catching more halibut than any other Gloucester schooners. >click to read< 11:24
Fishing community, others respond to tragedy of lost Portland vessel
Two weeks since the sinking of a Portland fishing boat with all four crew seem to have little eased the loss for members of the maritime community and others. But businesses, fishermen and hundreds of individual donors are trying to help family members of the four men, three of whom were from Maine.,,, “The crew on the F/V Emmy Rose were honorable men. All were extremely passionate about the fishing industry, but most importantly, they loved and cared for their families more than anything in the world,” Rosalee Varian wrote. “These four men were the best out there. They will be deeply missed, but they will never be forgotten.” >click to read< 10:23
Friends and family raise nearly $100,000 for F/V Emmy Rose fishermen lost at sea – Please donate if you can.
A campaign to help the families of four fishermen lost at sea last week was approaching $100,000 Sunday night. The fundraising effort on the for-profit crowd funding platform called GoFundMe had raised just over $95,000 to ease the financial burdens of the four crewmen’s families. The Portland-based fishing vessel F/V Emmy Rose sank off the coast of Massachusetts during the early morning hours of Nov. 23. The fishermen who lost their lives at sea have been identified as (Captain) Robert Blethen Jr. of Georgetown, Jeff Matthews of Portland, Ethan Ward of Pownal, and Mike Porper of Gloucester, Massachusetts. >click to read< 10:18
There are four gofundme pages our readers should be aware of for the Families of F/V Emmy Rose – >click to read<
There are four gofundme pages our readers should be aware of for the Families of F/V Emmy Rose
We have four gofundme pages to post for review, and the first is Rosalee Varian’s fundraiser, Supporting FV EmmyRose fishermen’s families. F/V EmmyRose four fishermen’s families – We have set up this page to support the families of the F/V EmmyRose and to ease their financial burden. The F/V EmmyRose sank early Monday morning, November 23, off the Massachusetts coast. >click to read<, and please donate if you can.13:28
Celebrating Ethan’s Life – Patricia Donahue is organizing this fundraiser, It’s with heavy hearts we start to find a way to navigate this road of grief that we have been dropped on. Ethan Matthew Ward was a hard worker, a loving father, dedicated boyfriend, an honest friend, and man any family member could be proud of. He fought his own demons but never let them define him. He pushed himself to be better and do better for his family, >click to read< and please donate if you can.
Ashley Gross and Michael Porper – Graham Hults is organizing this fundraiser, Of her crew was a Michael Porper, who is the love of Ashley Gross, a lifelong resident of Peaks Island. Ashley and Michael are the parents of Grace, their daughter. This fund is being established to provide support for Ashley and her daughter. >click to read<, and please donate if you can.
Funeral service expenses Jeff Matthews – Jeff Jmath is organizing this fundraiser. Jeff Matthews lost his life at sea. Doing what he loved to do, fishing. He spent his life out on boats, working hard. There isn’t a person that knows him that wouldn’t tell you he was one of the hardest workers they have met. >click to read<, and please donate if you can.
Coast Guard confirms identities of missing F/V Emmy Rose Captain and Crew
The Coast Guard has confirmed the identities of the four missing fishermen from Maine whose vessel sank off the coast of Massachusetts early Monday. The four men aboard the Portland-based Emmy Rose were first identified by WCSH/WLBZ on Tuesday evening as Jeff Matthews, Ethan Ward, Michael Porper and Robert Blethen. Petty Officer Amanda Myrick confirmed their identities late Tuesday and said that Blethen was the captain of the vessel owned by Rink Varian. The 82-foot Emmy Rose and its crew were on a multiday trip to catch groundfish such as haddock, pollock and flounder. They left Portland late last week and were believed to be heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to unload their catch when they ran into trouble early Monday. >click to read< 07:15
Candlelight vigil held for missing Maine fishermen – There was a candlelight vigil held Wednesday night for four Maine fishermen lost at sea, as the Coast Guard announced it had suspended the search. >video. click to read< 18:49
F/V Emmy Rose: U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for four missing fishermen off the coast of Massachusetts
BOSTON — The Coast Guard suspended the active search for four missing fishermen off the coast of Massachusetts, 5:22 p.m., Tuesday. “The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one. Our crews conducted searches continuously for over 38 hours covering an area of approximately 2066 square miles,” said Capt. Wesley Hester, Search and Rescue mission coordination, Coast Guard’s First District. “We extend our condolences to the friends and loved ones of these fishermen during this trying time.” >click to read the press release< 19:04
Coast Guard continues search for crew of Maine based fishing boat that sank off Massachusetts
The Coast Guard said it is looking for four people in the water after the 82-foot vessel sank at about 1 a.m. Officials said a helicopter crew and Coast Guard cutter were sent to the vessel’s last known location and found debris and an empty life raft. “They found the debris field and an empty life raft. As of now, there’s no signs of the vessel or the people who were on board,” The Coast Guard said at least one of its ships will remain in the area through the night to continue searching. >click to read<
Video, Search for 4 Maine Fishermen Off Mass. Coast Continues – The United States Coast Guard spent Monday searching for four Maine fishermen off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts. “He’s the best fisherman that’s out there”, “a very determined man, he’s been lost in the water before”,,, >click to watch<19:23
UPDATED: EPIRB Alert begins Coast Guard search for 4 fishermen northeast of Provincetown
The Coast Guard is searching for four fishermen approximately 20 miles northeast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Monday. Watchstanders at First District Coast Guard Command Center, in Boston, received notification at 1 a.m., Monday, from the 82-foot fishing vessel F/V Emmy Rose’s emergency position indicating radio beacon. The vessel owner reported there were four people aboard, and there were no answers on the vessel’s satellite phone. >click to read< 09:11, Coast Guard searching for 4 people after commercial fishing boat, the ‘Emmy Rose,’ sank – >click to read<10:26 Maine fishermen missing off Mass. coast are ‘very experienced,’ – “I hope to God they find them,” said Rink Varian, the boat’s owner. Varian of Westbrook said Monday morning that the Coast Guard had located an empty life raft, an oil slick and debris field, but no sign of the crew. “This is a horrific accident,” he said. >click to read< 14:19
