These Drums Sank The Andrea Gail

The crew of a GL Massachusetts swordfishing boat heads home with a hold full of fish. They decide to sail straight through a storm. They don't have time to wander around. Her deck is heavily loaded with barrels of drinking water and extra fuel. The ice machine is not working and they need to land their catch. What they don't know is that Andrea Gale is sailing into what will become the worst storm in 100 years. Some would say the perfect storm. Andrea Gale was a storm of steel. Western platform fishing boat used primarily to catch North Atlantic swordfish. Western rigs are fishing boats with a square stern, a steeply angled bow, and a flat deck at the rear.

The crew does most of their work on the back deck. The captain remains in the pilot. House at the front of the boat Western platforms fish for swordfish with longlines, where 40 m long fishing lines with up to a thousand baited hooks are dragged behind the boat. Boats fish for weeks at a time and catch tens of thousands of pounds. of swordfish on each trip in 1987 the boat was modified to store additional fuel on deck the stern was extended almost a meter and the canard or port side wall was raised almost a meter the stability of the boat is not reviewed after the modifications gler massachus tett is the home port of Andrea gal. gluster is over 400 years old and has a rich maritime history.

The first settlers were men from an English ship who decided to stay rather than return home after fishing nearby in the Atlantic. Fishing developed in gler after these first ones. Arrivals became an organized industry in the late 17th century, as early as 1711. In the 1990s, when the Andrea Gale set out on its last voyage, Bluster fishermen were found fishing as far away as Cape Sable in New Scotland on wooden sailboats. Gluster's jobs were related to fishing. The Glester Fishermen's Memorial was built in 1925 to celebrate the town's 300th anniversary and to honor the lives of the town's many fishermen who were lost at sea.

It is known that at least 4,000 gluster men died fishing, but it is believed that number could reach 10,000 between 1860 and 1906 660 ships sunk in the North Atlantic in those days a storm could sink an entire fleet at once we are in the middle of 1991 and the crew of the Andrea Gale prepares to set sail from the port of Glasto on a fishing trip. Modern boats like the Andrea Gale can sail great distances and spend long periods of time at sea. This boat will fish over 1,000m away on the Grand Banks. This is a shallow area 90 miles southeast of New Finland, where warm Gulf waters are found.

The current meets the cold water of the Labrador Sea Swordfish as it feeds in shallow water and this makes it popular with Gloucester anglers. The crew carries enough supplies for a 40 to 50 day trip and plans to land a catch that will earn them a lot of money. Sailors can earn $10,000 in a single trip. Ships like the Andrea Gale can earn up to $500,000 in a year before the ship sets sail Linda Greenw, the captain of the Andrea Gale's sister ship, Hannah Bowden, gives the Andrea Gale extra fuel and bait so they can last longer at sea, they will be sure to get a good catch.

Andrea Gale is captained by Frank William Ty Jr and the boat has a full six-man crew. Tytin's name is Billy Billy Ty is 37 years old. years old has one year experience on the Andrea Gale with 3 months as a boat captain before the Andrea Gale has over 10 years experience in fishing with 5 years as a captain Ty was born and raised in glester but was not always a fisherman before fishing , was a carpenter and drug counselor, but left when he was 27 for the chance to make a lot of money swordfishing. When she began fishing, she married Jod T and together they had two daughters, Erica and Billy Joe Tytin discovered he was a natural fisherman and, by the late 1980s, had become one of the most successful captains in the fleet.

Gloucester swordfishing club from which he and Jod divorced in 1990. Fishing is a one-man game. Crews often fish for a month at a time and sometimes will only be home for a week, the danger and stress also puts a strain on relationships and many brilliant fishermen get divorced. Billy and Jodie divorced, but reconciled and formulated a plan to move to Hawaii in the hopes that safer fishing in Hawaii would put less strain on their relationship. This is Billy Tin's last trip from Gloucester before he leaves. Before he leaves, he has a 3-hour phone call with Jod and they talk about his upcoming move to Hawaii and taking his daughters to Hawaii.

Disney World conditions can be harsh in the Atlantic around September, summer is ending and the weather is getting colder. Working outside on the deck of a ship is much more difficult in the winter, the crew has to work in strong winds, heavy rain and cold temperatures morning, day and night. they work as long as they can fish the sea is getting colder and people don't survive for long if they fall overboard storms are also a threat with a history of boats lost to powerful storms the Andrea Gale is a big strong boat Owner Bob Brown believes there is no storm that could sink him and Tytin is known as a brave sailor who will safely navigate boats like the girl Andrea through any North Atlantic storm and are prepared for an emergency.

The ship has survival suits for all crew members. six-person life raft an emergency position indicating radio beacon or eerb two VHF FM radios a single sideband radio a GPS radar system and two weather receivers the ship is ready and sets sail bright September 20, 1991 it is heavily loaded two additional fuel tanks that were added to the boat The stern in 1987 are full, between them they carry an additional 3,800 gallons of fuel located on top of the fuel in the two original 1,000 g fuel tanks in the engine room. The ship also has 30 additional 55-gallon fuel

drums

stored on the deck. 2,000 gallons of potable water are stored in the ship's integrated water tanks and 10 additional 55-gallon plastic

drums

of potable water are stored on the deck. the extra fuel carries extra jerrycans of fuel and water, which is not unusual for a boat like this, but Andrea Gale is heavily laden and sailing slightly low in the water as she leaves Glener Harbor.

The Andrea Gale takes almost a week to sail to Grand Banks, where they will begin fishing. Along the way, the crew prepares to fish. They sleep, they watch television and talk to each other. They fish hard on the Grand Banks in difficult conditions. When they are fishing, the crew works every hour they can. They spend their afternoons late into the night baiting their lines with up to a thousand hooks by hand and pulling out up to 40 M. of the line it takes until midnight to lay the line then they wake up at 4 in the morning to bring it back, they hardly sleep and in the rough Atlantic Ocean they rock restlessly in their bunks bringing the 40 m The line is hard work an Swordfish can weigh up to 000 and must be dragged to the boat with hooks.

They spend the day cutting and glazing fish, organizing fishing gear, and keeping the boat running. They cook, eat and shower whenever they can. steals a moment at midnight the line is set and baited and so the cycle repeats its pay is tight The five sailors Ty has on his boat are a mix of experienced fishermen and less experienced greenhorns Captain Billy Ty lives in Gloucester avenue around the corner from the Sullivan family Tytin recruited David Su Sullivan to work on the ship after Adam Randall pulled out at the last minute Randall cheated death this time, but was then lost at sea on a different boat.

Terry Lee Billy Tin is nearby. A friend of Sullivan's older brother, Mark Sully, he is the newest hire on the Andrea G and the youngest member of the 29-year-old crew. Kathy's sister says she has guts and loves to fish a few months before. Sally was on the fishing boat Harmony when she started fighting. In the middle of the night, the Harmony's crew called another ship for help, but was unable to wake the sleeping crew. Sul dove into the icy water, swam to the other ship and woke up the crew, who then helped them save the Harmony from sinking.

At 30 years old, Robert Bobby Shatford is another younger member of the crew despite having less experience than the rest of the crew. Shatford is already well known in the Gloucester fishing community. He is the son of Ethel Shatford Preston, who runs Crow's Nest. Crow's Nest is the local Watering Hole: this is where the crew goes to drink after a fishing trip and sometimes sleep in their quarters like the other crew members. Shatford is drawn to fishing by the prospect of making a lot of money with a good catch, no doubt influenced by the stories of fishermen in Crow's Nest Shatford has two young children who he will leave in Gloucester they are with his mother Lisa Shatford O'Brien the couple is already separated Dale murf Murphy is also 30 years old originally from Brenton Beach Florida Murphy leaves his 3 year old son, Dale, is behind with his ex-wife Deborah for this fishing trip.

Murphy is the ship's cook in this company. The other two members of the crew are Michael Bugsy Moran and Alfred Pierre Moran, he is a little older than the rest of the crew. 36 like Murphy is also from Brenton Beach Florida Pierre is 32 from New York City Andrea Gale lost her cook from the previous two trips Doug Costco decided not to go on this trip a decision that saves his life Costco is a friend of The times he signed up he was ready for three trips over the summer while the boats cooked, but on the second trip he had a spiritual encounter with a swordfish that made him decide to quit swordfishing altogether near the end of the trip.

Ty calls Costco on deck to help Butcher and Ice. On one big catch, Costco killed hundreds of swordfish without even thinking about it, but this time he sees the colors on a particularly large swordfish which he then remembers when you take them out of the water and they're still alive, they have all these colors. more colors than the rainbow and when they start to die the colors fade one by one he says he looked at it and knows he can see it he is 10 20 years old he has taken him out of his environment and says please don't kill me I have a family Costco kills the fish but feels that he has had a connection with it and promises himself that he will never kill another swordfish after they arrive in Puerto from that trip Costco collects his pay and disappears he could not face Billy, the rest of the crew in Crow's Nest, simply hopped on a train and left after learning the fate of the Andrea Gale Costco began having a recurring dream in which he was trapped inside the ship with his face pressed down.

Against the porch window staring into the abyss as the boat sinks deeper and deeper, the crew spends weeks fishing the Grand Banks, they fish hard, they set the line and then bring it in day after day, but luck is not on their side and has a bad catch on the Grand Banks decides to change plans and sail the Andreag Gale almost 300 miles northeast to fish at Flemish Cap this is another area of ​​relatively shallow water popular with swordfish and anglers is the 23rd October and the moon is full In the night sky, Andrea Gale is fishing on the Flemish Cap and they finally start bringing in a big room.

After a few days of successful fishing, they got the catch they need. There are 40,000 pounds of starfish in the warehouse. This is a full charge. and it could be worth as much as $250,000 but there is a problem with their ice machine it is not working properly without a working ice machine they cannot keep their catch frozen they need to return to land immediately or they risk losing their entire Hall and the trip would be a waste of time and money Billy Time decides to end the fishing trip and return home the boat begins its return Trip to glester either 26th or 27th October received warnings of a possible storm in the boat's path A storm has been forming area of ​​low pressure on land over southern Quebec.

This cold front coming from the eastern side of North America looks like it could head out to sea and become a storm. Storms are not uncommon this time of year and Ty hopes The Andrea Gale will take care of it. She sets out on the return voyage and sails directly for Gloucester on 28 October. The Andrea Gale is beginning its journey towards Gloucester. Forecasters have been monitoring the area of ​​low pressure coming from Quebec that she is heading toward. At sea they are also tracking a hurricane that developed further south in the Atlantic. This hurricane began to form while the crew was fishing for swordfish on Flemish Cap.

It began as a mid-level area of ​​low pressure south of Bermuda on October 23 by the 27th. It became a hurricane andShe was named Grace. Hurricane Grace is heading north, but does not pose an immediate threat. Hurricanes occur this time of year. They typically do not travel far north and tend to make landfall in the southern United States. earth is burning he just needs to be attentive he also has more immediate things on mind a different storm is forming around him the area of ​​low pressure coming from Quebec is creating storm conditions in the sea east of Nova Scotia in the precise path of the Andrea Gale the Andrea Gale needs to navigate this storm to get home the ship sails towards Gloucester the hurricane and the storm begin to flirt with each other but there is no indication that this is of any importance during the day of October 28 Hurricane Grace continues to move towards north instead of passing over land as hurricanes normally do.

Hurricane Grace travels further north and meets the western edge of the storm. Andrea Gale navigates through the cold front coming from the eastern side of North America. generated the area of ​​low pressure over Quebec is now preventing the hurricane from reaching land moisture from Hurricane Grace merges with the storm now the low pressure system from the north actually keeps the hurricane in the bay influences the path of the hurricane by turning it to the east and towards the middle of the Atlantic Andrea Gale is safe from the hurricane and only has to deal with the storm Ty talks on the radio with the crews of other fishing boats in his area He comes from the north and is now in the middle of the storm.

It has sailed through storms before, but this one is powerful enough to warn everyone and informs the other boats that they are experiencing 10m waves and winds from 50 to 80 knots. It is a strong storm and the Andrea Gale is fighting hard. . He tells the other fishing boats that she is coming with strong tytin and her men have to fight the storm, but they think they will be fine. Experienced men know this. how to handle a storm and everyone has faith in the boat they are on the Andrea Gale is 22 M long and over 6 M wide with a draft of 3 m it has a 365 horsepower engine with a maximum speed of 12 knots the Andrea Gale is a heavy boat and with a length of more than 20 M it would probably need a wave greater than 20 M to bring it down.

Ty and his crew continue into the storm prepared to brave the harsh conditions, what they don't know is that the situation is The radio conversation Tytin has with his fellow captains is the last anyone will hear from them. Andrea Gale's position at the time of her last transmission is 113 nautical miles east of Sable Island. No one knows exactly which direction the Andrea Gale is heading. Ty may have headed toward Nova Scotia to wait out the storm. Hurricane Grace has intensified in the On October 29 it reaches its maximum intensity. Satellites see an eye developing near Bermuda, its speed of movement accelerating and becoming a Category 2 hurricane, while the northern storm Andrea Gale is in is changing and the high-pressure ridge over eastern Canada it was forcing southeasterly storm, but now pushing westward, the centers of the northern storm and the hurricane are separated by a great distance, but they are close together at the edge and moving towards each other.

Keep in mind that Andrea Gale is already in what experienced sailors consider challenging sea conditions a climate phenomenon is developing that only occurs every 50 to 100 years the northern storm that Andrea Gale is in and Hurricane Grace merge to create a storm with incredible intensity the huge storms combine and the different temperatures and conditions of each storm creates an incredible pressure gradient with intense winds and exceptionally large waves, what will later be known as the Perfect Storm is forming just on Andrea Gale on October 30. Hurricane Grace and Northern Storm merge into a superstorm. The conditions at sea are terrible.

They report sustained wind speeds of over 50 knots with gusts up to 65 knots. They also report significant wave heights between 9 and 12 M interspersed with larger waves and towering giant waves. A boy 264 miles south of Hlex Nova Scotia reports a 30.7 M wave. This is the largest wave ever recorded on the Nova Scotia ocean shelf the Scottish shelf a 30 m wave could easily topple the 22 M Andrea Gale Waves breaking over the top of the ship could flood the deck is heavily laden with a full catch along with fuel and water Supplies are sailing low and Bullock Harbour, which has been raised by 1 M, could catch more water on deck, which would make the ship vulnerable to flooding.

On October 29 and 30, Andrea Gale owner Bob Brown attempts to reach the ship. on the radio but gets no response at 6:15 p.m. on the 30th he contacts the Coast Guard to register the Andrea Gale as unreported on a fishing trip he tells them he fears the worst there is no recorded communication from the Andrea gel after the last conversation Ty and the other fishermen do not receive distress calls or signals from the boat's eerb. On October 31, a search operation is launched. The Coast Guard Atlantic Area Operations Center in New York coordinates a massive multi-agency search effort covering the area from Grand Banks to Cape Cod in Massachusetts 23 U.S.

Coast Guard vessels Eight The US Coast Guard. Three US Navy aircraft. Three Canadian aircraft and one US Navy aircraft are participating in the search that lasts 10 days until November 10. The total the area searched exceeds 109,000 square miles the search is abandoned when the chances of anyone surviving are ultimately deemed too low when the ship was last contacted it was just over 100 nautical miles east of Sable Island it is possible having traveled a great distance between last contact and sinking, some wreckage is then found washed up on Sable Island, suggesting that this is the area where the ship

sank

.

One of the most important things found on Saple Island is the ship's epur, it is located completely on the southwestern side of the island. operational with the switch in the off position, we cannot be sure if it was off when the boat

sank

, but it must be on to activate automatically if it is released from its case, it will be released from its case if the boat capsizes or capsizes sinks or the crew can activate it manually if necessary if the ship suddenly sinks or sinks with its --er off no one would ever know that another item cited during the search for the ship was a submerged object resembling an orange cloth that could have been a deflated life raft the loss of the Andrea Gale meant the loss of family and friends for many people in the city of Gloucester for Billy Tin's sister, Roberta Billy, was the second brother she had lost.

Her other brother was killed in Vietnam. War Rober Bera and Sully's sister Kathy sometimes have a drink at Crow's Nest. Kathy Sullivan found out about her brother's disappearance from a friend who heard a rumor in town. She later said that she had videotaped the storm when she came ashore because he was a beautiful The site has no idea what her brother was going through to this day. The remains of the Andrea Gale have not been found. The bodies of the crew have never been recovered. Without being able to see the ship, it is difficult to say exactly how she sank.

It was the massive storm that caused the ship to be lost. It may be that the boat encountered a giant wave and suddenly capsized. This would explain why emergency signals were never received. A 30m wave was recorded during the storm. The consistent 10 m waves. what was experienced in the storm could have caused the boat to capsize or flood if the water could not escape the raised canopy quickly enough then subsequent waves could aggravate the flooding perhaps the boat's seaworthiness was compromised by the modifications there may have been been unbalanced by the fuel tanks on the rock it would also have been sailing low in the water with its full fish tanks and fuel and water reserves.

Another theory is that the storm clouded the fuel in the ship's tanks, causing the engine to fail at a crucial moment, it's easy to imagine. What could have gone wrong, what is harder to imagine is what it must have been like for the crew when such a huge storm formed right above them, that the crew was lost in an unimaginable once-in-a-lifetime storm. life. You may have seen the The Perfect Storm movie was released in 2000. After the movie was released, many people in the city of Gloucester, including friends and family of the girl team Andrea, questioned the way Ty and his men were featured in the film.

It is quite common for movies to add some drama. Another well-known story I've covered is Deep Water Horizon, which was also made into a movie you've probably seen. I'll leave a link to that video here.