Tag Archives: F/V Miss Ally
F/V Miss Ally remembered: 10 years since tragedy claimed five Shelburne County fishermen
It will be 10 years ago on Feb. 17 that life forever changed for the families and friends of five Shelburne County fishermen, forever known as the crew of the Miss Ally. Caught in a huge storm with waves larger than 10 metres and hurricane-force winds, the 45-foot fishing vessel was on its way into port from a halibut fishing trip when it ran into trouble about 120 kilometres southeast of Liverpool on Feb. 17, 2013. The vessel’s emergency locator beacon was activated at 11:06 p.m. The Canadian Coast Guard was dispatched. But to the heartbreak of families and friends – and communities in southwestern Nova Scotia – there would be no rescue. None of the crew came back home from that fishing trip. Photos, two stories. >click to read<
Miss Ally remembered: ‘Would do it again in a heartbeat’ says diver who searched capsized vessel – >click to read< 16:10
‘Safety culture’ among fishermen sees fewer accidents, lower insurance
Premiums have fallen 57 per cent since 2015, creating $12 million in annual savings for the industry, but while lower rates reflect an increased focus on safety and fewer accidents, fatalities are still occurring. Last week, the captain of the Miss Janet went missing from the fishing boat off southwestern Nova Scotia. His body was recovered off the coast of Yarmouth.,, There has been no shortage of serious incidents in the past 12 months, including the death of all six men on board the scallop dragger Chief William Saulis,,, >click to read< 07:50
‘I say his name every day’: Captain’s mother of F/V Miss Ally, seven years later
A mother who lost her son to the North Atlantic seven years ago when the Miss Ally capsized wants the vessel’s crew to always be remembered. “To me, it’s like it happened yesterday,” says Della Sears, whose son was the captain. The last time Sears saw her son, Katlin Nickerson, and his friends, was on Feb. 12, 2013, when she drove them to the wharf on Cape Sable Island, N.S. Tragedy struck five days later, on Feb. 17, when a storm capsized the boat. The bodies of the five fishermen were never found. >click to read< 07:14
Sea Change – The Struggle for Safety in Fishing, Canada’s Deadliest Industry
Despite safety gains in many other industries, fishing continues to have the highest fatality rate of any employment sector in Canada. Even as the long lists of the dead continue to grow, regulators and policy-makers are challenged by the grim fatalism that pervades a world in which generations of fishermen have gone out into the sea and, all too often, not come home. In the tidy port town of Lunenburg, N.S., near the ocean’s edge, a touching memorial lists the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea since 1890. “Dedicated to the memory of those who have gone down to the sea in ships,” says the inscription on a slab of black granite, and to those who “continue to occupy their business in the great waters.” click here to read the story 12:29
‘Playing with fire’: Fishing’s cruel seas and even crueler economics
On Feb. 12, 2013, an unseasonably warm evening, five young fishermen departed the West Head wharf on Cape Sable Island, N.S. aboard the Miss Ally, a 12-metre Cape Islander. The men, spanning in age from 21 to 33 — three of them fathers of young children—were headed out in pursuit of halibut, a valuable winter catch. On deck that night were Billy Jack Hatfield, a recently-engaged 33-year-old; Cole Nickerson, 28, a burly and strong former junior hockey player; Joel Hopkins, a 27-year-old father of two who absolutely loved the thrill of fishing; and Tyson Townsend, 25, a gifted athlete with a seven-month-old daughter. At the wheel, piloting the boat into darkness, was Katlin Nickerson, Miss Ally’s 21-year-old captain and owner. click here to read the story 13:13
Fishing Industry sees workers compensation rates hit 20-year low thanks to safety campaigns
Stuart MacLean says it was a particularly dark event that helped spark a culture change when it comes to safety in the fishing industry: the sinking of the Miss Ally. Five young men from southwest Nova Scotia were lost at sea when their fishing boat was hammered by a raging storm in 2013. The incident gripped fishing villages everywhere, and MacLean, CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, believes it had a dramatic effect on the way fishermen approach safety today. “What’s happened in that sector is people have moved from knowing about it to caring about it,” he said. “And I think what people said is, ‘It’s not OK to keep losing people at sea.'” click here to read the story 18:12
The Courageous Crew of Miss Ally-Lost at Sea Fundraising Auction raises over $86,000 for the family’s of the men.
The Courageous Crew of Miss Ally-Lost at Sea Fundraising Auction has raised more than $86,000 for the families of the lost fishermen. The fundraising effort, which began shortly after the February tragedy that saw five Shelburne County fishermen lose their lives, received huge support locally and from around the world said organizers. From its humble social media beginnings, the auction eventually saw thousands of items and services donated. continued
Safety board wraps up Miss Ally probe
HALIFAX – The
Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it could find no safety deficiencies after investigating the capsizing last month of a Nova Scotia fishing boat that claimed five lives. continue
Friends recall Billy Jack Tom Hatfield, eldest of the five fishermen aboard the Miss Ally
Another bittersweet memorial service Thursday recalled the life of another of the five young men lost at sea Feb. 17 in a raging winter storm off Nova Scotia’s South Shore. continue
Fisherman’s service symbolic – Tyson Townsend, 25, of Woods Harbour will be rememered today at 2 pm
Twenty-five years after five fishermen were lost at sea off Nova Scotia’s coast, one of the victims in the province’s most recent maritime disaster will be remembered at a service Sunday.
A memorial service for Tyson Townsend, 25, of Woods Harbour, is to be held at the Barrington arena. It begins at 2 p.m. Read more
Huge support for Miss Ally fundraisers shown
Bracelets in Memory of the Miss Ally
Fundraisers for the families of the five fishermen who lost their lives are getting a huge show of support. The Courageous Crew of Miss Ally-Lost at Sea Fundraising Auction and the Bracelets in Memory of the Miss Ally are two Facebook fundraising sites that have spread support throughout the country. Read more, Buy a Bracelet!
F/V Miss Ally – RCMP, Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Coast Guard: update as of noon local time
This morning at 8:30 a.m. local time, in support of the RCMP, a remotely operated vehicle underwater (ROV) from HMCS Glace Bay entered the water and conducted an assessment of the over-turned hull of the Miss Al
ly. The ROV captured imagery of the over-turned vessel to allow the Fleet Diving Unit to assess the situation. Upon reviewing the images the unit recommended that additional diving operations were not required. The assessment confirmed the Miss Ally sustained significant damage. The wheelhouse and sleeping quarters were not attached to the vessel. Halifax News
The five Fishermen were not located.
Tragically, No bodies found in capsized N.S. fishing boat F/V Miss Ally – Slave Driver skipper says wheelhouse and quarters gone.
Updated Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:56 p.m. AT
WOODS HARBOUR, N.S. – Hours after police confirmed the military spotted the hull of the Miss Ally intact, the community of Woods Harbour, N.S. is devastated to learn five young fishermen were not found inside the capsized vessel.
Divers aboard a private fishing boat that went to search for the overturned boat and its crew members, surveyed the vessel and found it was extensively damaged.
Global’s Erin Trafford went to a local community hall, where people are said to be in tears after hearing the new information.
RCMP confirmed the latest development, saying the captain of the Slave Driver contacted the Canadian Coast Guard vessel in the area, the Sir William Alexander, to say the Miss Ally’s wheelhouse and sleeping quarters were not attached to the overturned hull. Read it on Global News
February 23, 2013, Halifax, Nova Scotia…
Local dive teams found no bodies inside the hull of the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board, CBC News has learned. Local fisherman Sandy Stoddard said the dive crew searched the hull, but came up empty handed. He said the vessel is badly damaged. Police are sending HMCS Glace Bay with the Fleet Diving Unit and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to help search the site. Read here
Coast Guard at scene of capsized N.S. fishing boat cnbcnews
The Coast Guard has reached the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board and those at the scene are now trying to determine the safest way to examine it, according to police. cnbcnews here
Big risks for divers on capsized boat –expert
An open ocean dive underneath the capsized Miss Ally would be risky, but could be accomplished with the right equipment, says a commercial diving expert. Shawn MacPhail, the operations manager of Dominion Diving, Canada’s largest diving company, said divers would be in extreme danger underneath or inside the vessel until it was stabilized. Read more
BREAKING – Nova Scotia boat F/V Miss Ally spotted capsized, but still afloat – Last Updated: Feb 23, 2013 11:38 AM
A plane has located the hull of the Miss Ally, the boat that capsized off the coast of Nova Scotia last Sunday in rough weather with five fishermen on board, according to police. 
The Coast Guard and fishing boats are expected to reach the debris soon. Read more
Gale warnings holding back flotilla- Two boats left Woods Harbour ,Lady Faith, Rachel Elizabeth, with Crustacean Frustration and Slave Driver not far behind.
A gale warning has hampered the brave efforts of a group of fishermen on a search to bring closure to the families and friends of the five missing fishermen. Two boats left Woods Harbour late Thursday afternoon; the Lady Faith and the Rachel Elizabeth. The fishing boat Crustacean Frustration left the Falls Point wharf a little more than an hour later which was followed by an East Pubnico boat, the Slave Driver and 3 generations. There are also several other boats involved, including one from eastern Nova Scotia. Read more
RCMP – Debris all that remains of missing fishermen’s boat spotted about 10 nautical miles east of F/V Miss Ally’s last know position
A search of the area where five fishermen are believed to have perished after their boat overturned in stormy seas off Nova Scotia has turned up nothing but scattered debris. Three Department of National Defence aircraft patrolled the area of the Miss Ally’s last known position Thursday morning and afternoon, following a plea from the families of the missing men to continue the search. A Canadian Armed Forces CC130 Search and Rescue Hercules aircraft joined aircraft from Transport Canada, and Provincial Airlines to patrol an area measuring more than 1,700 square kilometres. There was no sighting of the capsized hull of the boat that had previously been spotted by the Canadian Coast Guard. Read more
BREAKING – Missing fishermen recovery operation taking shape
“If my boy is in that boat, I want to bring him home,” said Stephen Nickerson, father of Steven Cole Nickerson. “I think he’s in that boat.”
The families of five fishermen believed to have perished after their boat overturned in stormy seas off Nova Scotia have been told the Department of National Defence has agreed to send an aircraft out to the boat’s location. RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae confirmed he has spoken with DND officials who have told him an aircraft will be sent out to where the Miss Ally is.
George Hopkins, Joel Hopkins’s father, said a private fishing boat from Ecum Secum is travelling to the Miss Ally with four divers on board. He said other boats were also planning to assist in the search if the navy decided not to.Hopkins said he’s hoping that the DND aircraft will let the Ecum Secum dive team know where the Miss Ally is. “I feel elated,” he said. “At least we’re doing something.” Read it here.
F/V Miss Ally still afloat, Govt Agency’s lip service of excuses for non action of recovery are shocking to me. Video – Awaiting another update.
The families of the five fishermen believed to have perished after their boat overturned off the coast of Nova Scotia in a storm are waiting to hear whether officials will launch a salvage operat
ion on the Miss Ally. 12:49 PM ET
Updated, Corrected. Search continues for five Nova Scotia fishermen, F/V Miss Ally capsized in heavy winds and high seas
Fishing Vessel Miss Ally
LIVERPOOL, Nova Scotia, Feb. 18 (UPI) — Rescue crews searched Monday for five men whose commercial fishing boat capsized in heavy winds and high seas of Nova Scotia, authorities said. The 44-foot boat ran into trouble Sunday night as it contended with 26- to 33-foot waves and hurricane-force winds about 75 miles southeast of Liverpool, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. UPI
Family of missing Nova Scotia fisherman losing hope Helicopter spots overturned vessel and life-raft
The father of one of the five men missing off the south shore of Nova Scotia says he is losing hope his son will be found alive after the fishing boat he was on capsized late Sunday night. “I don’t have any hope right now,” George Hopkins told CBC News. His son, 27-year-old Joel Hopkins, is the father of two young children. “I’m a fisherman myself, so I realize what’s going on. I would think they would have found him by now. Every hour the chances are less.” Read more
Search continues for missing fishermen
US Coast Guard assisting in long-range search for missing Canadian fishermen
Watchstanders at the 1st Coast Guard District in Boston received a request from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax on Monday to assist in locating the 45-foot fishing vessel Miss Ally, homeported in Nova Scotia, whose crew was beset by weather and were having difficulty returning to port in Halifax. Read more
