Coast Guard Searching For Missing Fisherman
3 Men Rescued
POSTED: 6:20 am EST November 13,
2008
UPDATED: 5:44 pm EST November 13,
2008
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BOSTON -- The U.S. Coast Guard is still searching in the waters off Cape Cod for a fishing captain whose boat capsized overnight.
Fisherman Still Missing Three of his companions on the 71-foot Costa and Corvo were rescued by another vessel that was nearby, but the captain of the New Bedford-based boat has not been located.His family identified him as Antonio Mesquita. His daughter said they were still holding out hope he will be rescued. The Coast Guard said the boat's crew began experiencing problems about midnight on Thursday as they were fishing for tuna in relatively calm seas under a full moon. The boat capsized roughly 115 miles east of the Cape.The crew members told Coast Guard officials the boat capsized so suddenly they didn't know what happened and had no time to don life jackets. None were wearing survival suits either.The Coast Guard, which located the vessel after getting an alert from its emergency radio beacon, said seas were less than 1 foot and the wind was at 5 knots, with clear visibility, when the boat flipped. The other fishing vessel, The Costa and Corvo's sister ship the Mary K, rescued three crew members of the Costa and Corvo. They were not seriously hurt, although they had been in the 58-degree water for about 20 minutes. A Coast Guard jet, helicopter and two cutters were helping in the search.On the pier in New Bedford, a fishing community south of Boston, there were many questions about what might have happened.Donald Clattenberg was rescued at sea in 1966. He said the only thing for certain in the fishing industry is the ever-present risk."What goes through my mind? Well, when you leave this dock you can't guarantee you're coming back," Clattenburg said.The 30-year-old Costa & Corvo vessel is owned by R & P Fishing Corp. of New Bedford. The Coast Guard said it remained partially submerged but did not completely sink.
Fisherman Still Missing Three of his companions on the 71-foot Costa and Corvo were rescued by another vessel that was nearby, but the captain of the New Bedford-based boat has not been located.His family identified him as Antonio Mesquita. His daughter said they were still holding out hope he will be rescued. The Coast Guard said the boat's crew began experiencing problems about midnight on Thursday as they were fishing for tuna in relatively calm seas under a full moon. The boat capsized roughly 115 miles east of the Cape.The crew members told Coast Guard officials the boat capsized so suddenly they didn't know what happened and had no time to don life jackets. None were wearing survival suits either.The Coast Guard, which located the vessel after getting an alert from its emergency radio beacon, said seas were less than 1 foot and the wind was at 5 knots, with clear visibility, when the boat flipped. The other fishing vessel, The Costa and Corvo's sister ship the Mary K, rescued three crew members of the Costa and Corvo. They were not seriously hurt, although they had been in the 58-degree water for about 20 minutes. A Coast Guard jet, helicopter and two cutters were helping in the search.On the pier in New Bedford, a fishing community south of Boston, there were many questions about what might have happened.Donald Clattenberg was rescued at sea in 1966. He said the only thing for certain in the fishing industry is the ever-present risk."What goes through my mind? Well, when you leave this dock you can't guarantee you're coming back," Clattenburg said.The 30-year-old Costa & Corvo vessel is owned by R & P Fishing Corp. of New Bedford. The Coast Guard said it remained partially submerged but did not completely sink.Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
