Sunken boat investigation leaves family with questions
They were thrown overboard and killed when their fishing boat capsized off the coast of Gloucester last year. Now the coast guard says it’s because the boat was unstable, but family members of the two men lost at sea don¿t believe it.
“The Patriot” capsized off the shore of Gloucester, sunk to the ocean bottom and killed both fisherman aboard: The 36-year-old captain, Matteo Russo and his crew member, 58-year-old John Orlando.
¿The coast guard attributes the vessels loss to a rapid event most likely a capsizing that did not allow the crew time to respond or access life saving gear,¿ Capt. John Healy said at a press conference Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard says the boat was unstable and the weight of ocean water and heavy equipment could have forced the men into the icy waters without time to react.
But their families aren’t buying that the boat simply capsized on a routine trip.
The captain¿s wife alerted the Coast Guard when she received word the 54 ft. boat was in distress 15 miles off the coast. still, it took the Coast Guard more than two hours to launch a search team The bodies of the two fishermen were found a short time later and so was their sunken boat, which had extensive damage, leading family members to believe there was a collision something coast guard officials have ruled out.
While a new investigation is unlikely, officials are now pushing for more stringent regulations of smaller vessels.