The Loss of the Andrea Gail and crew Oct 28th 1991

Andrea Gail Was A Private Fishing Vessel

Andrea Gail

It 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 northeast of Sable Island on October 28, 1991. The story of Andrea Gail and her crew was the basis of the 1997 book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and a 2000 film adaptation of the same name.Andrea Gail was a 72-foot commercial fishing vessel constructed in Panama City, Florida in 1978, and owned by Robert Brown. Her home port was Marblehead, Massachusetts. She also sailed from Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she would offload her catch and reload food and stores for her next run. She was originally named Miss Penny She had a sister ship of the same specs, The Lady Grace.

The Perfect Storm Movie

The Perfect Storm Movie

The last reported transmission from Andrea Gail was at about 6:00 p.m. on October 28, 1991. Captain Tyne radioed Linda Greenlaw, Captain of the Hannah Boden, owned by the same company, and gave his coordinates as 44°00′N 56°40′W44.000°N 56.667°W, or about 162 mi east of Sable Island. He also gave a weather report indicating 30-foot (9.1 m) seas and wind gusts up to 80 knots (93 mph). Tyne’s final recorded words were “She’s comin’ on, boys, and she’s comin’ on strong.” Junger reported that the storm created waves in excess of 100 ft in height, but ocean buoy monitors recorded a peak wave height of 39 feet (12 m), and so waves of 100 ft were deemed “unlikely” by Science Daily. However, data from a series of weather buoys in the general vicinity of the vessel’s last known location recorded peak wave action exceeding 60 ft in height from October 28 through 30, 1991.

The Crew of the Andrea Gail

All six of the crew were lost at sea.

• Frank William “Billy” Tyne Jr. (Captain), aged 37 Gloucester, Massachusetts

• Michael “Bugsy” Moran, aged 36 Bradenton Beach, Florida

• Dale R. “Murph” Murphy, aged 30 Bradenton Beach, Florida

• Alfred Pierre, aged 32 New York City

• Robert F. “Bobby” Shatford, aged 30 Gloucester, Massachusetts

• David “Sully” Sullivan, aged 28 New York City