The search for survivors has been suspended after a commercial fishing vessel with two people aboard sank off Cape Cod this past week, leaving one fisherman dead and another missing.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Southeastern New England received a report just before noon Thursday that the fishing vessel Yankee Rose had overturned about two nautical miles northeast of Race Point in Provincetown, Mass. Coast Guard crews, along with local response agencies, arrived on scene within minutes.
One person was recovered from the water but later pronounced dead. On Friday, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois identified the deceased fisherman as 37-year-old Angel Luis Nieves.
The search for the second crewmember continued through difficult conditions before being suspended Friday afternoon after roughly 21 hours. “The decision to suspend a search is never taken lightly, and we offer our most sincere condolences to the families of the lost fisherman,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Thomas Wieland.
Officials said the crew contended with freezing temperatures, an active small craft advisory, and a gale warning while searching for the missing mariner. The Coast Guard said, “All available resources were leveraged in the effort to locate the missing mariner.”
Nieves’ sister posted a tribute online describing him as a devoted family man who loved the ocean and leaves behind four children.
Provincetown town manager Alex Morse also expressed condolences, noting the tight bonds within the local fishing fleet.
“Provincetown has a long and proud maritime history, and fishing has always been a central part of our community’s identity,” Morse wrote in a statement. “The fishing community is a close-knit one, where the dangers of the sea are well understood and deeply respected.”
The cause of the Yankee Rose sinking remains under investigation by the Coast Guard and Massachusetts Environmental Police.
