NTSB releases new images of doomed fishing boat ‘Emmy Rose’

The National Transportation Safety Board has released some startling new images of a Portland, Maine based fishing vessel that sank on November 23, 2020 some 25 miles off the coast of Provincetown.

The Emmy Rose was returning from a 7-day fishing trip when it sank in the early morning. There were no distress calls prior to the sinking.

Emmy Rose fishing boat. Source: Boat Aaron & Melissa, via NSTB

The Coast Guard searched more than 2,200 square miles over a 38-hour period. Crews found a debris field, the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon, and an empty life raft and could even smell diesel fuel odors but none of the four crewmembers was found.

In May, the NTSB and Coast Guard 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.

Image of the Emmy Rose’s port side bow captured by the ROV on Sept. 23, 2021. Photo courtesy of WHOI

Then, in September, investigators partnered with the National Science Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to survey the sunken vessel using a remotely operated vehicle. The ROV was deployed from the Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore and provided videos and high-resolution photos to assist investigators in attempting to determine the cause of the sinking, which remains unknown.