WASHINGTON (Nov. 10, 2021) — The United States Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Emmy Rose.
The Emmy Rose was returning from a 7-day fishing trip when it sank in the early morning on Nov. 23, 2020. There were no distress calls prior to the sinking. The Coast Guard searched more than 2,200 square miles over a 38-hour period. The searches yielded a debris field, diesel fuel odor, the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon and an empty life raft. None of the four crewmembers were found.
In May 2021, the Coast Guard and NTSB collaborated with MIND Technology, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to locate the Emmy Rose using side-scan sonar. The 82-foot vessel was located in an upright position with its outriggers deployed in about 800 feet of water on the seafloor about 25 miles off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts.
In September 2021, investigators partnered with the National Science Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to survey the sunken vessel using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The ROV was deployed from the Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore (WLB-209) and provided videos and high-resolution photos to assist investigators in attempting to determine the cause of the sinking.
The Coast Guard and NTSB continue to provide updates to the families of the four fishermen lost.
(Side scan sonar image of the Emmy Rose on the seafloor captured on May 20, 2021. Photo courtesy of MIND Technology)
(Image of the Emmy Rose's port side bow captured by the ROV on Sept. 23, 2021. Photo courtesy of WHOI)
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
