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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 32 Number 10
June 2005
Coast Guard honors Diane Marie
crew for Northern Edge rescue
FAIRHAVEN, MA - In a solemn ceremony at the Northeast Maritime Institute on May 10, the Coast Guard presented the crewmen of the Diane Marie with its Public Service Commendation for their “selfless” efforts to rescue the crew of the Northern Edge.
“We wanted to recognize and honor them for their initiative, bravery, and tenacity in rescuing Pedro Furtado and for their continuing efforts to find their fellow fishermen,” said Capt. Judith Keene in a follow-up interview. Keene, who presented the honor, is the commander of Group Woods Hole.
Receiving the commendation were Diane Marie’s captain Antonio “Tony” Alvernaz, Paul Rego, Mario Frias, Orlando Moutinho, Edward Doody, Antonio Areias, and Jonathan Dauphin.
The commendation described in detail what happened on the night of Dec. 20, 2004.
The 91' Diane Marie and the 75' Northern Edge had been fishing in the same area, about 45 miles southeast of Nantucket, for three days and had maintained routine radio contact during that time.
At approximately 4:30 pm, Rego noticed that the Northern Edge was no longer in sight. When the Diane Marie’s radio calls went unanswered and the radar showed no sign of the scalloper, Alvernaz immediately notified other vessels in the area. At the same time, Rego noticed a flare directly off the stern. Alvernaz set a course in the flare’s direction and notified the Coast Guard of the situation by satellite phone.
“Mr. Rego and the rest of the crew manned the rails with life rings, life lines, and a handheld spotlight looking for survivors of the Northern Edge,” the commendation stated.
“Within 15 minutes of the flare sighting, the crew of the Diane Marie located a life raft with one survivor (Furtado) on board. Battling winds in excess of 35 knots and 10' seas, Captain Alvernaz maneuvered the Diane Marie to create a lee for the life raft, which was being tossed about and flipped by the wind and seas, throwing the survivor into the frigid waters each time,” it continued.
“Miraculously, the survivor was consistently able to climb back into the life raft and, when the Diane Marie was able to maneuver alongside, the crew successfully brought the survivor aboard their vessel,” the commendation concluded.
Keene observed that the ceremony was an emotional one for everyone involved.
“Instead of being proud, there was a deep sadness that they couldn’t have done more,” she said of the Diane Marie crewmembers who were present. “They certainly did everything in their power to assist in this emergency. I can only imagine how distressed they were.”
Five men died in the accident – Glen Crowley, Juan Flores, Eric Guillen, Ray Richards, and the vessel’s captain, Carlos Lopes.
Lorelei Stevens
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