Tag Archives: F/V Mary B II
For 54 years the Newport Fishermen’s Wives have been supporting the coastal fishing community in times of need
“One day I’m going to die at sea,” Josh Porter said as he walked into his living room to greet his wife, Denise. He was fresh off a crabbing boat, the fishy, salty smell permeating his clothes. “You need to be a part of the Fishermen’s Wives,” he said. “They’re the ones that are going to be there for you.” Fishing communities all share one thing in common — their dynamics shift when boats leave for months at a time. In Oregon, nearly 1,000 fishing vessels depart from the state each year. Over 300 of those boats touch base in Newport, where many of those left on shore must endure the unpredictability of the fishing industry. One group supports the unique needs of Newport’s community, their fishermen and their families. The Newport Fishermen’s Wives was established in 1970 and is the only nonprofit of its kind on the West Coast. What was first a social club has become a backbone of the community in the last 54 years. Co-president Taunette Dixon was raised within the fishing community of Newport and inherited the responsibilities of the generations before her. Growing up, Dixon spent her fair share of time on a fishing boat. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:18
A fishing boat captain and two deckhands died in a disastrous Oregon bar crossing. Could it have been prevented?
Joshua Porter got dressed for his job around 4 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2019, sat down at the end of the bed, buried his face in his hands and told his longtime partner he didn’t want to go. He was scared. A storm was brewing off the Oregon coast, where the Mary B II would be competing with dozens of other fishing boats in the first days of the Dungeness crab fishing season. In the handful of days he had worked on the Mary B II, Porter had become concerned. The 50-year-old captain, Stephen Biernacki, new to the Pacific Northwest’s waters, repeatedly refused advice from experienced sailors, had once ran his boat aground and seemed to be unfamiliar with the most elementary aspects of fishing for crab. “Well, why are you going?” Denise Barrett Ramirez, standing in the bedroom doorway of their Toledo home, asked him that morning. “Got bills to pay,” Porter replied. “I have to go.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:44
F/V Mary B II: Coast Guard owes the public answers
It has been more than four years since the deadly capsizing of the crabbing vessel FV Mary B II while it attempted to cross the Yaquina River bar inbound in stormy weather, killing the skipper and two crew members as Coast Guard vessels were nearby. The captain had previously operated off New Jersey and wasn’t familiar with Pacific Coast conditions. At the time of the hearings, the lead Coast Guard officer said a report was expected before May 2020. However, almost four years have now elapsed since the hearing and the Coast Guard has not released its final investigation report publicly. >click to read< 11:42
F/V Mary B II: Why Coast Guard sluggishness?
It has been more than four years since the deadly capsizing of the crabbing vessel F/V Mary B II while attempting to cross the Yaquina Bay bar inbound in stormy weather on Jan. 8, 2019, killing the skipper and two crew members as Coast Guard vessels were nearby. A Coast Guard Marine Casualty Investigation board convened in Newport, May 13-17, 2019, and soon revealed the captain had alcohol and methamphetamine in his system and one crew member had cannabinoids. The captain had previously operated off New Jersey and wasn’t very familiar with Pacific Coast conditions. >click to read< 13:03 Search Results for F/V MARY B II
Legal playing field tilted against dead fishermen
When commercial fishermen and other seafarers die on the job, does the law provide justice for their survivors? The case of the Mary B II’s deadly sinking off Newport in January of this year shows the legal process tilts toward boat owners in several ways, largely to benefit the economy. “Once a seaman dies, the estate has very few remedies,” said Joe Stacey, a Seattle maritime lawyer who represented late crewman Joshua Porter’s estate in reaching a settlement with the boat’s owner. >click to read< 06:55
Mom of doomed Mary B II skipper calls him experienced seaman for whom safety was ‘paramount,’ contradicting other witnesses
In day five of the Coast Guard hearing into the January capsizing of the Mary B II fishing vessel, the mother of the captain described a man vastly different from the one depicted throughout the week by other witnesses. Mary B. Anderson, managing member of the Mary B II LLC, bought the former Bess Chet last fall, after her son, Stephen Biernacki, convinced her it would be a good business opportunity. >click to read<13:06
BREAKING: Woman says she was hit in the face on Biernacki’s boat
A Toledo woman who says she was aboard a tuna boat piloted by Captain Stephen Biernacki last August has come forward to recount the man hitting her in the face with a microphone and trying to confine her to the boat’s bunk area after the two fought over a radio call she made to try to get another boat to take her back to shore. “He grabbed the mike and hit me in the chin with it and said, ‘you just lost your privileges,'” said Kelli Sullivan,,, >click to read<11:14
Widow recounts boat’s tragic trajectory – >click to read<
BREAKING: Doomed captain was responsible for at-sea mishaps, possible assault
The saga of a captain who appeared to be neither a proper master of his ships nor his own impulses is unfolding at a Coast Guard hearing in Newport, with testimony giving details about the man sleeping at the wheel, using marijuana, displaying intoxication and possibly assaulting another person aboard his boat. Investigators earlier in the week revealed Biernacki had methamphetamines and alcohol in his system when he died. >click to read<17:37
Hand on doomed Oregon boat texted, called wife before death – click to read<08:38
Coast Guard to begin public hearing for F/V Mary B II marine casualty investigation in Newport today
The Coast Guard is inviting media and public to attend a formal public hearing, which begins May 13, 2019, at Newport City Hall, to consider evidence related to the Mary B II marine casualty investigation. The hearing will focus on the capsizing of the commercial fishing vessel Mary B II, which lead to the deaths of three fishermen at the entrance of Yaquina Bay in Newport on Jan. 8, 2019. The hearing is live streamed. >click to read/links<08:16
F/V Mary B II – Public hearing slated on fatal capsizing beginning at 8 a.m. on May 13
An investigation into the fatal capsizing of a boat off the coast of Newport remains ongoing. A public hearing will be held at Newport City Hall beginning at 8 a.m. on May 13. The hearing will focus on the capsizing of the commercial fishing vessel Mary B II, which led to the deaths of three fishermen at the entrance of Yaquina Bay in Newport. On Jan. 8, the three fishermen were approaching the Yaquina Bay Bar aboard the 42-foot Mary B II when it capsized without warning, tossing two overboard into the rough seas, according to a Coast Guard. >click to read< The hearing will be streamed live each day >click here to listen< 11:56
F/V Mary B II – Coast Guard seeks additional information for investigation
The Coast Guard continues the marine casualty investigation of the fishing vessel Mary B II, which capsized off Newport, Oregon, on Jan. 9, 2019, and resulted in the loss of the three crew members and the vessel. A public hearing will be held in Newport around mid-Spring and it is highly encouraged that anyone with information pertaining to the loss of the Mary B II provide it to the investigation team at [email protected]. >click to read<14:08
Coast Guard was escorting boat when it capsized off Oregon, killing 3 fishermen, 2 from New Jersey
The U.S. Coast Guard was escorting a commercial fishing vessel into an Oregon harbor under heavy seas when it capsized on Tuesday night, killing three fisherman, two of whom were from New Jersey. A 52-foot Motor Life Boat Victory went out to to meet the 42-foot Mary B II near the entrance to Yaquina Bay, the Cost Guard said in a statement. The fishing boat was under its own power in the stormy Pacific Ocean contending with waves of 14-to-16 feet when it capsized just after 10 p.m., officials said. >click to read<11:24
F/V Mary B II: Coast Guard to investigate capsizing on Yaquina Bay Bar in Newport, Ore.
The Coast Guard is investigating the capsizing of the commercial fishing vessel Mary B II, which lead to the deaths of three fishermen at the entrance of Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon, Tuesday night. The three fishermen were inbound the Yaquina Bay Bar aboard the 42-foot vessel Mary B II when it capsized without warning tossing two of the fishermen overboard into the stormy Pacific Ocean with reported waves of 14 to 16 feet with occasional waves of 20 feet.Prior to the Mary B II capsizing its crew requested a Coast Guard escort across the Yaquina Bay Bar.,,, >click to read<
3 Fishermen dead after fishing boat capsizes crossing Yaquina Bar bar
The Mary B II crab boat capsized about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. >click to read< U.S. Coast Guard.Authorities have released the identities of three men killed when a fishing boat capsized in rough waters off the Oregon coast. The Oregon State Police said in a statement the victims were James Lacey, 48, of South Toms River, New Jersey; Joshua Porter, 50, of Toledo, Oregon; and Stephen Biernacki, 50, of Barnegat Township, New Jersey. Authorities say Biernacki was the skipper of the Mary B. II. >click to read<16:23
2 commercial fishermen from N.J. among 3 dead after boat capsizes off Oregon coast – >click to read<
BREAKING: Fishing boat from Deadliest Catch: Dungeness Cove” TV show capsizes in Newport
A commercial fishing boat that was part of the “Deadliest Catch” spinoff series capsized around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Coast Guard officials said the Mary B. II, one of the boats from the “Deadliest Catch: Dungeness Cove” Discovery television show, requested a Coast Guard escort across the bar in Newport because the bar was restricted due to 12 to 15-foot waves. During that escort, the boat capsized and all three crew members ended up in the water.
The Coast Guard is currently attempting a rescue. >click to read<09:10
Timeline – Surf Rescue off Newport’s North Jetty – F/V Mary B 2 capsized – >click to read<
Coast Guard confirms three fishermen dead after boat capsizes near Yaquina Bay – >click to read<12:27
