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The cable connecting a tugboat and a barge is being investigated by the Coast Guard for its role in the sinking of a Gloucester, Massachusetts fishing boat.
The Patriot sank in the early morning hours of Saturday, January 3, 2009, said Petty Officer Etta Smith, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. According to Smith, the tug and barge were in the vicinity of where the incident took place.
“Anything is possible. The barge is connected to the tug by a cable tow; they are looking at the tow cable to see if there was any possible collision,” said Smith.
Matteo Russo, 36, was the captain of the Patriot. Russo and his father-in-law, John Orlando, 58, were killed when the 54-foot fishing trawler mysteriously sank just 15 miles off Gloucester in Middle Bank.
According to the Coast Guard, six crewmembers of the tug and barge and three other witnesses are being interviewed as investigators look for the cause of the accident.
On Thursday at 11:00 PM, the Coast Guard declared a safety zone around the area where the Patriot sank.
“We have established a safety zone to preserve the integrity of the scene and vessel while investigators continue working on this case,” said Captain Gail Kulisch, commander of the Coast Guard Sector in Boston, in a statement.
In order for any vessels to enter the safety zone, permission must be granted from the captain of the Port of Boston. Anyone who violates the safety zone can be fined up to $32,500 and given a jail sentence of up to five years.
On Wednesday, seven hundred mourners gathered together at Saint Ann Church in Gloucester to remember the lives of Russo and Orlando. Russo’s wife is expecting a second child and Orlando was a father of two.
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