Fishing boat sinks outside Manasquan inlet

[captnemo]

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.