Wreckage of Lady Cecilia Located Off Washington

Posted in Fishing Vessel Accidents,Washington Maritime News on September 10, 2012

The Coast Guard and FDS Marine International, LLC said Monday that they have located the sunken fishing vessel Lady Cecilia approximately 20 miles off Point Ledbetter near Willapa Bay, Wash.

The Coast Guard contracted the FDS to locate and examine the wreck of the 70-foot F/V Lady Cecilia using a remote operating vehicle, which discovered it in approximately 460-feet of water on Sunday. The remains of the 4 missing crew members had not been located. 

The ROV operations, which were conducted off the Coast Guard Cutter Fir, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Astoria, Ore., were performed to assist Coast Guard Investigators to determine the cause of the sinking. The ROV underwater video of the vessel will be closely analyzed by investigators over the next several weeks and the findings presented at a future Formal Board of Investigation public hearing in Astoria.

The Lady Cecilia and its crew of four were lost at sea in March 2012. Their only distress signal came from the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon as the vessel went down. The Formal Board of Investigation into the cause of the accident started in April, the USCG says.