The No-Name Storm (as it was initially called) was a natural cyclone event in 1991. It first gained notoriety when the commercial fishing vessel Andrea Gail became lost at sea. The 1991 Perfect Storm (as it later became known) was made more popular by American author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger. Junger was 29 years old and had been working as a climber for a tree company in Gloucester. In addition to the devastation caused by the 1991 Perfect Storm, residents of Gloucester later learned of a dramatic tragedy that had befallen Andrea Gail and its crew.
Sebastian Junger, also a freelance writer at the time, decided to write a chapter on the lost fishing vessel in his proposed book about dangerous jobs. Once finished, Junger sent his work to his literary agent, who facilitated a deal involving an advance fee of $35,000. It was paid to Junger to adapt the story of Andrea Gail into an entire book. Two years later, his book was finished and ended up on the New York Times best-seller list. The Perfect Storm became a Hollywood success, and Junger became a war correspondent. He’s also known for his documentary film Restrepo which was nominated for an Oscar. But it is Junger’s story about Andrea Gail that propelled him and Gloucester into national memory. Twenty-seven years later, it still reaches deep. Here are 10 facts you probably didn’t know about Andrea Gail.
1. The Andrea Gail Was A 72-Foot Commercial Fishing Trawler
Robert Brown owned the Andrea Gail, with its home port at Marblehead, Massachusetts. The vessel was built and commissioned in 1978, with dimensions of 22 m (72 feet) length, 6.1 m (20 feet) beam, and 3.0 m (9.8 feet) depth. The Andrea Gail was occasionally known to sail out of Gloucester’s harbor after offloading her fishing catch and restocking supplies for her next voyage out to sea.
On September 20, 1991, Andrea Gail headed for some fishing on the Grand Banks, an international fishing ground located just southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. The fishing was poor, and Captain Billy Tyne decided to leave Grand Banks and set sail for the Flemish Cap, hoping to be lucky with a catch. Experienced fishermen had previously described the Flemish Cap as thick with fish daily, so the captain’s decision had been borne out of valid information.
2. The Last Communication From Andrea Gail Was With Another Fishing Vessel Hannah Boden
When Captain Billy Tyne sent a radio message to Linda Greenlaw, Captain of the Andrea Gail sistership Hannah Boden, he reported his coordinates as 44°00 N & 56°40 W. This placed the Andrea Gail at about 162 miles east of Sable Island. Linda Greenlaw, a best-selling author and swordfishing boat captain wrote a book about swordfishing on rough seas titled The Hungry Ocean, and another about lobster fishing titled Lobster Chronicles. Greenlaw’s opinion was that the storm formed over the Andrea Gail, leaving very little warning of the strength it would soon have.
3. Captain Billy Tyne Had Recruited David ‘Sully’ Sullivan For Andrea Gail At The Last Minute.
Captain Billy Tyne and David Sullivan were close friends and lived in the same neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, the captain had his close friend join his fishing expedition when one of his crew members failed to show up. The family of Captain Tyne and the Sullivan family have grown closer since the tragedy, also attending memorial tributes to the other crew members together.
4. Every year, The Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial Service Pays Tribute To The Crew Of The Andrea Gail
Gloucester, Massachusetts, is an important center in the United States fishing industry. Also regarded as one of the oldest seaports in the US, its citizens are famed for being knowledgeable about the ways of the sea. Gloucester is where fishermen go to the sea daily, sometimes never returning. Since the tragedy of Andrea Gail, there have been 30 or more similar accidents/disappearances at sea.
5. Captain Richard Haworth Has Speculated About Modifications Made To The Andrea Gail Before Its Last Voyage
Richard Haworth had been the captain of the Andrea Gail for 8 years. He was also a script consultant for the American disaster drama film, The Perfect Storm (2000) starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, based on the book of the same name by Sebastian Junger. Haworth noted that from his experience, the ship tended to take on a lot of water when fully loaded with fish and fuel.
Richard Haworth’s theory explains that the storm must have hit when the ship was fully loaded, meaning the deck was already close to the water line. Weather siding on the ship’s port side meant that water wasn’t being expelled fast enough from the deck. According to Haworth, the disastrous result of these modifications that were made to the ship meant that as the rough waves grew, they rocked the boat hard. This probably caused it to heave to one side before toppling over.
6. Fisherman Jack Flaherty Has Theorized That Andrea Gail May Have Had Muddied Fuel
Jack Flaherty’s theory is not so far apart from Captain Richard Haworths’s. The former theorized that the fuel on Andrea Gail might have become contaminated with rust, algae, sediment, or air due to the rough waves bringing water onto the vessel’s deck and rocking it strongly. One or a combination of these could have contributed to a stalled or failed engine. He believes that extreme weather conditions and a failed engine meant that the Andre Gail stood no chance of escaping the storm.
7. Captain Billy Tyne’s Final Words Over The Radio were, “She’s Comin’ On Boys, And She’s Comin’ On Strong!”
The position of the Andrea Gail was reported to be 44°N 56,4°W about 180 miles East of Sable Island. It was October 28, 1991, and the ship was returning home when the nor-easter storm hit. At about 6 pm, Captain Billy Tyne reported 30-foot-high waves and 80 knots gusts of wind over the radio. The Captain further said, “She’s comin’ on boys, and she’s comin’ on strong.” The Coast Guard had reported recording this as the captain’s last transmission before the vessel’s radio went silent. There were no distress signals heard or seen.
8. The Lady Grace Was Auctioned Off For $145,100
In the movie adaptation of Junger’s successful book, The Perfect Storm, the real-life vessel, Lady Grace, was used to play the part of Andrea Gail. Much like its sister-ship, Lady Grace was built in 1978, but at just over 57 feet long, it was much smaller than the 72 feet long Andrea Gail. After production on the movie was completed, Warner Bros. auctioned off the vessel on eBay, and it won at a high bid of $145,100. In 2004 after being donated to the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Centre, the boat was ravaged by fire.
9. All Six Crew Members Aboard The Andrea Gail Perished
Captain William ‘Billy’ Tyne, a resident of Gloucester, was 37 years old at the time of the Andrea Gail disaster. Among his crew members were Robert Shatford (30) from Gloucester, Dale Murphy (30) from Bradenton Beach, Florida, and David Sullivan (29), the youngest of the crew. Others were Michael Moran (36) from Bradenton Beach, Florida, and Alfred Pierre (32) from New York City. None of the crewmen made it back safely to shore.
10. Several Items From Andrea Gail Were Found In 1991
Among the items found from Andrea Gail are a 406Mhz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), a propane tank, fuel drums, an empty life raft, and some flotsam. The EPIRB was positively identified as belonging to Andrea Gail. However, it was never activated and was still in the off position. However, Andrea Gail itself is yet to be found.
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