16 days ago
LUBEC (NEWS CENTER) -- When three urchin fishermen died two weeks ago when their boat sank in Cobscook Bay, it was the second tragedy in the bay in seven months. In March, two men died when their boat crashed. Losing five fishermen in such a short time in the same area has hit the community hard. Russell Wright grew up in the area, and used to be an urchin fisherman. He said he knew the guys on the All American and the Bottom Basher. As a specialist with the Marine Patrol, he was hoping his friends on the Bottom Basher were just hung up on a sand bar when they didn't come home on October 20. "Started down the river. Started seeing a debris field. And I knew it was more than that," he said. "Then you start picking up life jackets." The next morning he found the body of Daryl Cline, 41, of Lubec. Wright is hopeful with help from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the Coast Guard, they'll be able to find the bodies of Joe Jones, 29, of Trescott, and Norman Johnson, 57, of Cutler, along with remains of the Bottom Basher. They're looking for the remains of the All American, too. NOAA brought its side-scanning sonar to Cobscook Bay to look for any signs of the boats and the men. They're able to scan the ocean floor, and looking at the images on the computer, they're able to tell the difference between rocks and debris. "It's a different angle or it's a different shadow. Or anything that has square edges," said Lt. Matt Jaykoski, of NOAA. "Anything that looks like it may be manmade is what piques our interest." The current in Cobscook Bay is very strong, and it's known to move things around quite a bit. All of the people involved in the search say it would be easier if they knew exactly where the boats went down, but that doesn't mean that's where they are now anyway. Bob Peacock, along with Marine Patrol and Senator Olympia Snowe's office, helped get the NOAA team to Maine. Peacock worked with one man on each boat, and as a local pilot himself, he said it was important to find the remains. He's optimistic that will happen. "What I'm sure is we'll find out where it isn't. Because this gear is that good so we'll know any place we go," he said. The NOAA team will be on the water again Thursday. They will then evaluate the images and let the Marine Patrol know where they think they may find something. Wright says no matter what the NOAA team finds, he'll keep looking. "We'll keep at it. Hopefully something will turn up," he said. "But we won't give up. That's for sure. I won't."
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