Fishing boat sinks outside Manasquan inlet

MANASQUAN — The captain of a 69-foot fishing boat that sank a half-mile from the Manasquan Inlet early this morning has been charged with being drunk while at the helm of the ship.

State police said Shawn R. Rose, 44, of Wellfleet, Mass., was under the influence
when the Susan II began to sink at about 12:15 a.m. Coast Guard officers from Station Manasquan Inlet arrived on scene and rescued Rose and two others from the water within 45 minutes, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

During an investigation, authorities say Rose declined to submit to a breathalyzer
test and he was subsequently cited for operating a vessel under the influence of
alcohol.

Initially, the Coast Guard and state Department of Environmental Protection feared 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel aboard the boat would leak into the water. Those fears semm to have been allayed, however, as salvage divers were able to plug holes on the sunken boat and prevent any leaks.

A small amount of diesel fuel or oil did make its way into the water, said Petty
Officer Christopher McLaughlin, a Coast Guard spokesman. The amount was small enough that a sheen on top of the water is expected to soon dissipate, he said.

The cause of the sinking remains under investigation by the Coast Guard, with
assistance from the New Jersey State Marine Police.

Sunken fishing boat salvaged

HOISTED ONTO BARGE AFTER SINKING OFF MANASQUAN INLET

STAFF REPORT • July 12, 2008


The 69-foot fishing boat Susan II was pulled out of the water Friday and hoisted onto a barge by a salvage crew eight days after it sank in 30 feet of water some 800 yards northeast of Manasquan Inlet, the Coast Guard said.

"As soon as they salvage it, the plan is to take it somewhere in Staten Island," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Chris McLaughlin before the salvage operation.

When the boat sank July 2, three people aboard were rescued by a crew from the Coast Guard's Manasquan Inlet Station in Point Pleasant Beach.
The vessel was on its way out to sea on a daylong surf-clamming trip, hoping to fill its 448-bushel hold, according to Monte Rome, operating manager of Northstar II Fisheries Inc., a fishing fleet out of Gloucester, Mass., which owns the boat.

The Susan II began making daily trips out of Manasquan Inlet in late June after a red tide outbreak off the New England coast curtailed fishing there.

Authorities have said the Susan II is believed to have experienced mechanical problems related to the autopilot function that sent it into a spin before it began taking on water as it headed out to sea. The boat was submerged with only a small portion of the bow and an antenna visible.

Shawn R. Rose, 44, the Massachusetts-based captain of the Susan II, was charged with being drunk while at the helm.
Rose and two crew members were pulled out of the water in survival suits after transmitting a distress call at 12:25 a.m. July 2.
Rose later declined to submit to a Breathalyzer test, and was charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol and with refusing to take a breath test, according to State Police