A TV-famous fisherman who tragically died at sea alongside his crew of six has been laid to rest.
Capt. Gus Sanfilippo, known for his appearance on the History Channel’s Nor’Easter Men, is mourned by friends and family, leaving Gloucester’s tight-knit fishing community — and all of New England — in deep grief
Found an empty life raft
Gus Sanfilippo, his crew, and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishery observer were aboard the 72-foot fishing boat Lily Jean when the U.S. Coast Guard received an emergency radio beacon alert on January 30th, according to the Daily Mail.
The Coast Guard said the distress signal came from the Lily Jean. After repeated attempts to contact the crew failed, rescue teams were dispatched, including a helicopter and a rescue boat.
When they reached the scene, crews found a debris field, an empty life raft, and one person deceased in the water. Officials have not yet released the identity of the victim. The remaining six men aboard the vessel are presumed dead, per the Daily Mail.
Coast Guard Commander Timothy Jones said search efforts continued through the night despite treacherous conditions, with freezing sea spray posing serious risks to both the missing vessel and rescue crews.
Fifth-generation fisherman
Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts, worked primarily in the Georges Bank, between Cape Cod and Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia.
He and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of Nor’Easter Men, a series highlighting the dangers of commercial fishing, including multi-day trips in severe weather while harvesting haddock, lobster, and flounder.
Coast Guard Sector Boston Commander Jamie Frederick explained just how difficult the search has been:
“That is the equivalent of searching for a coconut in the ocean,” he said, referring to the vast area and hazardous conditions.
At the time the distress alert was received, the National Weather Service reported winds near 27 mph, four-foot waves, air temperatures around 12 degrees, and water temperatures of about 39 degrees.
Last words before tragedy struck
Captain Sebastian Noto, a friend of Lily Jean’s captain, told NBC10 Boston that he spoke with Gus Sanfilippo just hours before the tragic sinking.
“I was about 30 miles east of him,” Noto said. “We usually work together all the time. We are like glue, man. We give a lot of information back-and-forth.”
On the morning the Lily Jean went down, Noto recalled speaking with Sanfilippo around 3 a.m., hearing him say, “I quit. It’s too cold.”
“He was calm,” Noto added. “He just couldn’t do the cold because the air holes was freezing.”
Hours later, when Noto realized there was no sign of his friend, he knew the situation was serious. Looking back, he suspected the tragedy might have been caused by a malfunction with the bilge pump.
“Just a guess, I could be wrong, you know, because even if the bilge is taking water, you got plenty of time to call Mayday,” he explained. “You got plenty of time to get into the survival suit, life raft. The boat takes time to sink.”
”We loved each other”
Authorities confirmed that the other six people aboard the vessel included crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal, John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien, as well as NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.
“The decision to suspend the search was incredibly difficult,” Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston, wrote in a press release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family members and friends of the lost crew of the Lilly Jean, and with the entire Gloucester community during this heartbreaking time.”
Vito Giacalone, leader of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, described the tight-knit fishing community as a grieving brotherhood, still in shock over the loss.
”We loved each other,” Giacalone said of his bond with Sanfilippo. ”He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my younger brother. To know the tragedy of this and to know the kind of character that Gus had, he’d be mortified to know that these lives were all lost.”
Captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the only member of the seven‑person crew of the Lily Jean whose body was recovered. The funeral for him took place on Tuesday morning, February 10, with Governor Maura Healey in attendance.
Married his high school sweetheart
The son of a Sicilian fisherman, Sanfilippo grew up on the docks and spent his summers as a teenager hauling ground fish aboard his father’s boat.
He later married his high school sweetheart, Lorie, and went on to buy and captain his own vessel. In addition to his life at sea, he was a skilled carpenter, building his family’s home with his own hands.
“He took great pride in his role as a captain, mentoring many young men — teaching them how to succeed in the fishing industry,” his family wrote in a tribute on the funeral home’s website.
Gloucester Mayor Paul Lundberg has also announced that the names of those who were on the Lily Jean will be added to the city’s memorial honoring the thousands of fishermen lost at sea.
Our thoughts go out to the families, friends, and the entire fishing community as they mourn the loss of these brave souls. May they rest in peace, and may their legacy at sea never be forgotten.
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