History
CanadaCanada
Name"Margaret Jane"
OwnerAdams & Knickle
Port of registryLunenburg, Nova Scotia
BuilderSnyders Shipyard
Launched1965
IdentificationIMO number: 6621222
FateCollision with Cape Beaver on July 31, 1980
General characteristics
Tonnage108 tons[1]
Length105 ft (32 m)[2]
Sail planStern trawler

The FV Margaret Jane was a Canadian stern trawler based out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Built in 1965 at Snyder's Shipyard in Dayspring, she was owned by fishing company Adams & Knickle.[3][4][5][6]

Collision and sinking

On July 31, 1980, Margaret Jane was returning an injured crew member to Lunenburg after three days of scallop fishing with an 18-member crew.[4][7][8] Cape Beaver, a steel-plated 160-foot wetfish trawler owned by National Sea Products, was undergoing her first shakedown cruise in Nova Scotia waters and had dignitaries on board.[2][4][9][10]

At approximately 12:00 p.m. (ADT), Margaret Jane was hit on the port side by Cape Beaver in dense fog.[10][11] The incident occurred about six kilometers from Lunenburg, near West Ironbound Island.[4][11] The large ice-cutting ball on the bow of Cape Beaver sliced through the side of the Margaret Jane.[2] After the collision, some crewmembers jumped overboard into the Atlantic Ocean and others scrambled into the boat's life raft.[10] Within two minutes, the Margaret Jane was submerged by water and sank.[2][11] Four crewmembers of the Margaret Jane died in the incident.[11] Some crew members from Cape Beaver jumped into a life boat and helped rescue survivors.[2] The Cape Beaver boat and crew was not injured and returned to the National Sea Products wharf with rescued crew members from the Margaret Jane.[4] Four injured men were taken to hospital in the incident and the other 10 members of the crew were unharmed after being rescued.[4]

A television film crew from CBC was aboard Cape Beaver and captured footage of the collision and aftermath.[12] The video footage was aired on national television across the United States.[13][14][15]

Casualties

Three of the four crew members who died were originally from Newfoundland.[4] The fourth was Kelly Crouse, a 16-year-old from Brockville, Ontario who went on the fishing trip while on vacation with his parents.[11]

Name Age Hometown Notes
Kelly Crouse 16 Brockville, Ontario [11]
Aloysius J. Hinks 34 Chester [11]
Manuel Joseph Jesso 41 Stephenville, Newfoundland [11]
Leonard Snook 55 English Harbour, Newfoundland [11]

Inquiry

On September 4, 1980, Transport Minister Jean-Luc Pépin ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.[16] The inquiry was held before Justice A. Gordon Cooper of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Appeals Division.[17] Captain Morris Nowe, skipper of the Cape Beaver, testified that there was no liquor aboard the ship when it collided with the Margaret Jane.[17]

References

  1. Marine Heritage Database: Margaret Jane – 1980 Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Search continues for crewmen, inquiry into ship collision begins". Chronicle Herald. Halifax, Nova Scotia. August 1, 1980. p. One & Two.
  3. Snyders Shipyard - Margaret Jane snydersshipyard.com
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mason, Linda (July 31, 1980). "Four missing". Chronicle Herald. Halifax, Nova Scotia. p. One.
  5. Maritime Connector: Margaret Jane
  6. Margaret Jane (+1980) Wrecksite.eu
  7. "2 boats collide, 1 sinks". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. August 1, 1980. p. 22.
  8. "Four missing in sea mishap". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. August 1, 1980. p. Four.
  9. "4 missing after sea collision". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. August 1, 1980. p. One.
  10. 1 2 3 "Debris spotted but 4 still missing after sea collision". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. August 2, 1980. p. One.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Searchers comb sea for four missing after boats collide". Montreal Gazette. August 1, 1980. p. 43.
  12. AT SEA: FISHING TRAWLER SINKS IN MINUTES DRAGGING DOWN CREW, AFTER COLLIDING WITH OTHER TRAWLER ITN Source
  13. NBC Evening News for Thursday, Jul 31, 1980 Vanderbilt Television News Archive
  14. NBC Evening News for Friday, Aug 01, 1980 Vanderbilt Television News Archive
  15. "Collision". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. August 2, 1980. p. 6A.
  16. "Pepin orders inquiry". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. September 4, 1980. p. 22.
  17. 1 2 "No liquor aboard in crash: Captain". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. February 2, 1981. p. 11.

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