January 5, 2016 — Coast Guard officials say they are looking into safety policies and procedures after the tow of a Gloucester fishing boat went fatally wrong last month.
“We’re doing a thorough investigation” in conjunction with the National Transportation Safety Board, Coast Guard spokesman Ross Ruddell said Monday, while the Coast Guard was in the process of towing in another boat that had become disabled off Nantucket.
The investigation into the December incident will involve a review of safety policies, including whether to stock rescue vessels with defibrillators, Ruddell said. Currently, Coast Guard helicopters carry the life-saving equipment, but rescue boats are not required to do so.
Gloucester fishing boat captain David “Heavy D” Sutherland, 47, died Dec. 3 when his boat the Orin C went under while being towed by the Coast Guard in heavy seas off Cape Ann.
Two other fishermen, Rick Palmer and Travis Lane, were rescued. Sutherland was unresponsive when pulled onto a Coast Guard motor rescue boat and could not be revived after more than an hour of CPR, according to Coast Guard officials.
The Orin C sank 12 miles off Thatcher Island in Gloucester after first being towed by a good Samaritan vessel called the Foxy Lady. The tow was imperiled by high wind and waves. The Orin C’s surviving crew members told the Boston Globe that the Foxy Lady’s tow line was too short and it was going too fast for the rough weather.
A large wave reportedly crashed over the Orin C’s bow and caused it to flood, according to a Coast Guard statement.