| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Andrea Gail (Final Name) Miss Penny (Original Name) |
| Port of registry: | Gloucester, MA |
| Builder: | Eastern Marina Inc. , Freeport Florida |
| Completed: | 1978 |
| Out of service: | October 28, 1991 |
| Homeport: | Marblehead, MA |
| Fate: | Sank while steaming through the 1991 Perfect Storm |
| Status: | Lost at sea |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Fishing Vessel |
| Tonnage: | 93 tons |
| Length: | 57.9-foot |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Notes: | Her sister ships are the Lady Grace and Hannah Boden. |
The F/V Andrea Gail was a commercial fishing vessel that was lost at sea with all hands during the "Perfect Storm" of 1991. The vessel and her six-man crew had been fishing the North Atlantic Ocean out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Her last reported position was 180 mi (290 km) northeast of Sable Island on October 28, 1991. The story of the Andrea Gail and her crew was the basis of the 1997 book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and a 2000 motion picture film.
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The Andrea Gail was a 57.9-foot (17.6 m) commercial fishing vessel constructed in Panama City, Florida in 1978, and owned by Robert Brown.[1] Her home port was Marblehead, Massachusetts. She also sailed from Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she would offload her catch and reload food, fuel, and stores for her next run. She was originally named Miss Penny.
The Andrea Gail began her final voyage departing from Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts, on September 20, 1991, bound for the Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. After poor fishing, Captain Frank W. "Billy" Tyne Jr. headed east to the Flemish Cap where he believed they would have better luck. Despite weather reports warning of dangerous conditions, the ship set course for home on October 26–27, 1991. [1] It is known that the ship's ice machine was malfunctioning and unable to maintain the catch for much longer. This is believed to be a key factor in their decision to head home on the 26th.
The last reported transmission from the Andrea Gail was at about 6:00 p.m. on October 28, 1991: Captain Tyne radioed Linda Greenlaw, Captain of Andrea Gail's sister ship Hannah Boden, and gave his coordinates as , or about 180 mi (290 km) northeast of Sable Island. He also gave a weather report indicating 30-foot (9.1 m) seas and wind gusts up to 80 knots (150 km/h (93 mph)). Tyne's final recorded words were "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong". It was reported that the storm created waves in excess of 100 ft (30 m) in height, but it was not confirmed.
No further messages were heard from the vessel and no other ships were able to reach her.
On October 30, 1991, the vessel was reported overdue. An extensive air and sea search was launched by the 106th Rescue Wing from the New York Air National Guard, United States Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard forces. The search would eventually cover over 186,000 square nautical miles (640,000 km2).[2]
On November 6, 1991, Andrea Gail's emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was discovered washed up on the shore of Sable Island. 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".[1] Authorities called off the search for the missing vessel on November 9, 1991, due to the low probability of crew survival.[1]
Fuel drums, a fuel tank, the EPIRB, an empty life raft, and some other flotsam were the only wreckage ever found. The ship was presumed lost at sea somewhere along the continental shelf near Sable Island.
All six of the crew were lost.
The story of the Andrea Gail and her crew inspired Sebastian Junger's 1997 book, The Perfect Storm, and a 2000 motion picture film, distributed by Warner Brothers. The Andrea Gail's near-sister ship, Lady Grace, was used during the filming of the movie.