Unmanned shrimp boat washes ashore on Florida beach, puzzling investigators

Florida beach-goers received an improbable visitant aft an unmanned vas washed ashore past weekend.

A 50-foot shrimp vessel named "Miss Montie" ran aground connected Beverly Beach, located astir 3 miles northbound of Flagler Beach connected Florida’s eastbound coast, connected Sunday evening, according to the Flagler Beach Fire Department. 

Authorities responding to the country of the beached vas were initially incapable to marque interaction with the crew, the section said successful a societal media post. 

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"Miss Montie," a 50-foot shrimp boat, washed ashore connected a Florida formation connected Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Flagler Beach Fire Department.)

The Flagler Beach Fire Department did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

Upon contacting the U.S. Coast Guard, officials learned the unit was, successful fact, accounted for and had been removed from the vessel anterior to Sunday, Coast Guard Marine Science Technician Brandan Blackwell, who responded to the scene, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

"We are conscionable making definite that everything looks similar it's buttoned up, the vas is inactive upright, it's not capsizing oregon anything," Blackwell said. "It's a alloy hull, truthful it shouldn't autumn isolated overnight oregon thing brainsick similar that."

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A shrimp vessel offshore successful Cocoa Beach, Florida, connected Dec. 18, 2023. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via USA Today)

The vessel mislaid powerfulness connected Friday night, Corey Thomas, the skipper of Miss Montie, told the News-Journal. Thomas reportedly called the Coast Guard aft realizing his spare anchor would not clasp the ship's weight. 

"I didn’t privation to permission the vessel drifting," Thomas said. "The [Coast Guard] told maine they couldn’t tow me. And I couldn’t recognize wherefore they couldn’t tow me. They told maine it was excessively dangerous."

Thomas was not instantly disposable for Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

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Corey Thomas, the skipper of the 50-foot-long Miss Montie shrimp boat, said the vessel mislaid powerfulness Friday nighttime and drifted southbound astir 25 miles, moving aground successful Beverly Beach, conscionable northbound of Flagler Beach. (Frank Fernandez/USA Today)

The Coast Guard reportedly took Thomas and his unit to shore, wherever Thomas recovered a vessel proprietor consenting to tow his shrimp boat. However, Miss Montie had drifted 8 miles successful 3 hours, and the waves were excessively unsmooth for the vessel to beryllium towed, the News-Journal reported.  

Thomas attempted to usage a 2nd anchor to clasp the boat, but the enactment broke. The adjacent day, Miss Montie arrived connected the shores of Beverly Beach. 

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"And present she sits," Thomas said. 

The vessel was searched and subsequently handed implicit to section instrumentality enforcement. Thomas reportedly hired a larger shrimp vessel to haul it disconnected the beach, telling Fox News Digital helium was being towed to St. Augustine.  

The Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.