| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Sea Gale Corp.,Gloucester, Massachusetts |
| Port of registry | United States |
| Route | Eastern Atlantic Ocean |
| Builder | Eastern Shipbuilding,Panama City, Florida |
| Launched | 1977 |
| Completed | 1978 |
| In service | 1978 |
| Out of service | October 28, 1991 |
| Homeport | Gloucester, Massachusetts |
| Identification | 592898 |
| Fate | Lost at sea in the1991 Perfect Storm |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Fishing vessel |
| Tonnage | 92 tons |
| Length | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Beam | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Depth | 9.8 ft (3.0 m) |
| Installed power | 365 hp (272 kW) |
| Propulsion | Diesel marine engine (Caterpillar 3408 V8), single propeller. Additionally a Caterpillar 35 kW generator.Lister Petter 15 kW generator |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)[1] |
| Crew | 6 |
| Notes | Sister ships:Hannah Boden, and FVLady Grace |
FVAndrea Gail was an American commercial fishing vessel that was lost at sea with all hands during thePerfect Storm of 1991. The vessel and her six-man crew had been fishing the NorthAtlantic Ocean out ofGloucester, Massachusetts. Her last reported position was 180 mi (290 km) northeast ofSable Island on October 28, 1991. The story ofAndrea Gail and her crew was the basis of the 1997 bookThe Perfect Storm bySebastian Junger, and a 2000film adaptation of the same name.
Andrea Gail was a 72-foot (22 m) commercial fishing vessel constructed inPanama City, Florida, in 1978, and owned by Robert Brown.[2] Her home port wasGloucester, Massachusetts. She sailed from Gloucester, where she would offload her catch and reload food and stores for her next run.
Andrea Gail began her final voyage departing from Gloucester Harbor on September 20, 1991, bound for theGrand Banks of Newfoundland off the coast of eastern Canada. After poor fishing, Captain Frank W. "Billy" Tyne Jr. headed east to theFlemish Cap, where he believed they would have better luck. Despite weather reports warning of dangerous conditions, Tyne set course for home on October 26–27.[2] The ship's ice machine was malfunctioning and would not have been able to maintain the catch for much longer.[3]
The last reported transmission fromAndrea Gail was at about 6:00 pm on October 28, 1991. Tyne radioedLinda Greenlaw, captain of the F/VHannah Boden, owned by the same company, and gave his coordinates as44°00′N56°40′W / 44.000°N 56.667°W /44.000; -56.667,[3]: 26 or about 162 miles (261 km) east ofSable Island. He also gave a weather report indicating 30-foot (9.1 m) seas and wind gusts up to 80knots (150 km/h; 92 mph). Tyne's final recorded words were, "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong."[4] Junger reported that the storm created waves in excess of 100 ft (30 m) in height, but ocean buoy monitors recorded a peak wave height of 39 ft (12 m).[5] However, data from a series of weather buoys in the general vicinity of the vessel's last known location recorded peak wave action exceeding 60 ft (18 m) in height from October 28 through 30, 1991. A buoy off the coast ofNova Scotia reported a wave height of 100.7 ft (30.7 m), the highest ever recorded in the province's offshore waters.[2]
On October 30, 1991, the vessel was reported overdue. An extensive air and land search was launched by the 106th Rescue Wing from theNew York Air National Guard,United States Navy,United States Coast Guard andCanadian Coast Guard forces. The search eventually covered over 186,000 square nautical miles (640,000 km2).[6][verification needed]
On November 6, 1991,Andrea Gail'semergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was discovered washed up on the shore of Sable Island in Nova Scotia. The EPIRB was designed to automatically send out a distress signal upon contact with sea water, but the Canadian Coast Guard personnel who found the beacon "did not conclusively verify whether the control switch was in the on or off position".[2] Authorities called off the search for the missing vessel on November 9, 1991, due to the low probability of crew survival.[2] All six of the crew were lost at sea.
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