ST. THOMAS - The Sea Shepherd commercial fishing boat that sank to - TopicsExpress

ST. THOMAS - The Sea Shepherd commercial fishing boat that sank to the sea floor on Tuesday after a U.S. Coast Guard cutter smashed into it without warning is missing. Sea Tow, a boat recovery company, tried to locate the vessel Thursday but was unsuccessful. It is unclear whether federal authorities conducting three separate investigations of the collision of the vessels will attempt to find the Sea Shepherd as part of those investigations. We were unable to locate the fishing gear that they said would be marking the spot, said Capt. Alan Wentworth of Sea Tow. Wentworth, who was contacted Tuesday by the captain of the Sea Shepherd, Winston Ledee, said that he conducted the first search for the 42-foot vessel free of charge Thursday morning. Ledee, 57, had been with another fisherman, Kenneth Scott Turbe, 30, fishing for lobster when the 110-foot San Juan-based Key Largo cutter ran into the fishing vessel at 6:38 a.m. Tuesday just east of Vieques. The two fishermen saw the cutter, realized it was not stopping and jumped ship, though Turbe later climbed back onto the vessel to salvage what items he could before the boat sank. Both men were shaken but neither was injured. They took note of their GPS coordinates, where 20 or so lobster traps, each of which had two floats attached, remained, according to Wentworth. Four divers and a dockhand accompanied Wentworth to the GPS coordinates of the last known location of the lobster traps that Ledee had hoped would still be on the waters surface. The traps were nowhere to be found, Wentworth said, and the 5- to 7-foot high waves on the open water made the search that much more difficult. Wentworth said that he will be unable to continue the search until Wentworth receives confirmation that Ledees insurance will cover another trek out to sea to find the lost vessel. Ledee could not speak in detail of the incident himself, he said Friday, because he did not want to compromise the investigation of the collision. Physically, Im good. Mentally, Im not. This is a nightmare, Ledee said. It is unclear whether the U.S. Coast Guard or any other investigating agency will try to locate the vessel, which may have fallen into waters between 600 and 2,000 feet deep on the South Slope. If it fell before the slope, it could be in waters closer to 120 feet deep, in which case the boat may be recoverable. Whether the Sea Shepherd is found or not, the Coast Guard will be involved in three primary investigations, according to Coast Guard regional spokesman Ricardo Castrodad. The three ongoing investigations reviewing the incident are briefly described as: - A marine casualty investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause of accidents and identifying safety recommendations that will prevent similar events in the future. Coast Guard investigators will assist the NTSB team. - A safety analysis investigation directed by Coast Guard headquarters to identify causal factors leading up to the mishap. This non-punitive preventative safety investigation is designed to improve risk-mitigation and identify organization and systematic changes to reduce mishaps. - An administrative investigation convened by the Seventh District commander to determine accountability, assist in assessing financial claims against the Coast Guard and identify other non-safety related issues. This should be the first investigation to be completed, Castrodad said. The results of the investigations can be expected by November, Castrodad said. The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources also relayed its interest in conducting an investigation, and the Coast Guard will be conferring with the department to accomplish this, if need be, Castrodad said. If the Coast Guard is found to be at fault, the consequences could include changes to Coast Guard policies and procedures. Consequences also could include administrative and disciplinary action against Coast Guard personnel. It is not the first time that tragedy has struck one of Ledees boats. Ledee was driving his 35-foot lobster boat, the Great White II when it ran aground on Saba Island, two miles southwest of King Airport. Both Ledee and the other fisherman on board, Tony Pirate Tony Neely, who had been lying down on the boat deck at the time, were seriously injured. Neely, who broke his back in three places and damaged his spinal cord, is paralyzed from his chest down because of the incident. Ledee recovered from his injuries, which included a ruptured spleen. - Contact Jenny Kane at 714-9102 or email [email protected].