Search Halted for Missing Fishermen
44-foot fishing boat sunk 20 miles from shore
Kevin Scarpa
The Coast Guard called off its search Thursday for three fishermen went missing after their fishing boat sank.
A distress call was received around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday from a 44-foot fishing boat called Sea Tractor, officials said. The ship ran into trouble about 20-miles off the coast.
Three men -- Kenneth Rose Sr., 75, Kenneth Rose Jr., 49, and Larry Forrest, 55 -- were on board the boat, but when the rescue chopper arrived to the ship's last known location there was only an empty life raft.
Coast Guard rescue teams from N.J. stations as well as Cape Cod, Mass. and Elizabeth City, N.C. continued to search the waters through Thursday, but were unable to find the fishermen. The men have been presumed dead, officials said.
The Atlantic waters have grown increasingly treacherous as a Nor'easter moves up the coast. Winds were gusting to 60 m.p.h. with 15-20 foot waves Thursday.
Posted Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009 - 11:08 PM EST
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