On December 3, 2015, at 2018 local time, the commercial fishing vessel Orin C sank in the Atlantic Ocean about 13 miles east of Cape Ann, Massachusetts. All three crewmembers abandoned the vessel just prior to the sinking and were recovered by US Coast Guard motor lifeboat 47259. However, the captain of the Orin C became unconscious in the water before being pulled to the motor lifeboat by a Coast Guard crewman. When examined aboard the motor lifeboat, the captain had no pulse. In response, Coast Guard crewmembers performed CPR, but he could not be revived. There were no other injuries and no reports of pollution. The Orin C sank in about 300 feet of water and was not salvaged.
The probable cause of the sinking of the Orin C was the structural failure of the disabled vessel’s wooden hull and subsequent flooding of the vessel while being towed in adverse conditions.
As a result of its investigation, we made two recommendations to the US Coast Guard.
