Massachusetts governor asks US Navy to help retrieve bodies, evidence from sunken fishing vessel

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has asked the U.S. Navy to assistance with the probe into the sinking of a sportfishing vas earlier this twelvemonth that near 7 unit members dead, the Navy confirmed to Fox News Digital.

Healey and State Sen. Bruce Tarr sent a missive to the Secretary of the Navy this week asking for assistance retrieving a video recorder and a hard thrust from the wreck of the Lily Jean successful January, which lies much than 300 feet down successful the Atlantic astir 25 miles disconnected the seashore of Massachusetts, that could find the origin of the sinking, WFXT-TV reported.

"The Office of the Secretary of the Navy is successful receipt of the correspondence," a spokesperson from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy told Fox News Digital connected Saturday. "A effect is being prepared and volition beryllium transmitted straight to the Governor's office."

The politician besides hopes to retrieve the remaining six bodies from the 72-foot boat, which sank connected Jan. 30.

COAST GUARD IDENTIFIES 7 VICTIMS ON BOARD GLOUCESTER COMMERCIAL FISHING BOAT THAT SANK OFF MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has asked the U.S. Navy to assistance with the probe into the sinking of a sportfishing vas earlier this twelvemonth that near 7 unit members dead. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images; Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The assemblage of Lily Jean Captain Accursio "Gus" Sanfilippo is the lone 1 that has been recovered.

The six others who died successful the sinking see unit subordinate Paul Beal Jr.; unit subordinate John Rousanidis; unit subordinate Freeman Short; unit subordinate Sean Therrien; and NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.

"What caused it is not arsenic important arsenic retrieving the crew," Donna Short, the parent of Freeman Short, a 31-year-old who was readying a wedding, told WFXT.

She said she spoke to him a fewer days earlier helium went retired connected the doomed trip.

"He told me, ‘Hey mom, you cognize I’m going to beryllium going,’ and I told him I loved him," she said, adding that recovering his assemblage is simply a "matter of laying him to remainder wherever his bequest began adjacent to some of his grandfathers, who are veterans."

A placard honoring the unit of the Lily Jean is displayed astatine the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial successful Gloucester, Mass., connected Jan. 31, 2026. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe)

DESPERATE SEARCH FOR TWO MEN AS FISHING BOAT FOUND EMPTY 70 MILES OFF FLORIDA COAST

The National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard are progressive successful an ongoing probe into the sinking.

The Coast Guard’s hunt for the missing unit members was suspended connected Jan. 31, a time aft the sinking, and the NTSB said it doesn’t bash recoveries, according to WFXT.

When the Lily Jean sank, Coast Guard watchstanders received an exigency presumption indicating a vigor beacon (EPIRB) alert astatine astir 6:50 a.m. registered to the vessel.

USCG crews attempted to interaction the boat, and aft getting nary response, issued an urgent marine accusation broadcast (UMIB), according to officials.

Multiple aircraft, cutters and tiny boats searched 1,047 square miles implicit 24 hours, uncovering debris adjacent the determination wherever the EPIRB was activated, on with the captain’s assemblage and an unoccupied beingness raft that had been deployed.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey talks with U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick aft a property league successful Gloucester connected Jan. 31, 2026. The Coast Guard called disconnected the hunt for the sportfishing vas Lily Jean, which had 7 unit members. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

Search and rescue ngo coordinators, on-scene commanders and the Coast Guard determined on Jan. 31 each tenable hunt efforts for the missing unit members had been exhausted.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"The intent of a Coast Guard probe is to identify measures that tin amended the information of beingness and spot astatine sea, not to delegate civilian oregon transgression blame," the Coast Guard wrote successful a connection astatine the time.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to Healey’s bureau for comment.

Fox News' Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.