MARINE ACCIDENT REPORT: FISHING VESSEL M/V LOBSTA-1 CAPSIZING AND SINKING IN ATLANTIC OCEAN, POINT JUDITH, RHODE ISLAND, SEPTEMBER 23, 1978

About 0100 E.D.T., on September 23, 1978, the fishing vessel MV LOBSTA-I capsized in the Atlantic Ocean about 47 nmi south-southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island, while en route to its lobster fishing area. The capsized vessel was sighted about 12 hours after the accident by a tankship. Subsequently, a Coast Guard helicopter sighted the capsized vessel but it sank before the Coast Guard cutter could reach it. The Coast Guard conducted an extensive search in the area but found no survivors. The LOBSTA-I was later located resting upright on the bottom at a 234-ft water depth, and photographs, showing damage to the vessel's hull plating were taken by a shipboard controlled, underwater vehicle. All five crewmen are missing and presumed dead. The Safety Board considered many factors during the investigation, including vessel stability, operating practices, weather forecasting, and the possibility of collision. The National Transportation Safety Board is unable to determine the probable cause of the capsizing of the LOBSTA-I. Vessel damage indicates a collision with another vessel as a possible cause of the capsizing; however, the evidence is not sufficient to establish that such a collision occurred. Another possible, but less likely, cause is the loss of stability due to internal flooding. The lack of distress notification may have contributed to the loss of life.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1980-4-16

Media Info

• Pagination: 35 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Capsizing; Crash investigation; Fishing vessels; Marine safety; Reports; Shipwrecks; Water transportation crashes
• Geographic Terms: Atlantic Ocean; Rhode Island
• Old TRIS Terms: Lobsta-i (Vessel)
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00649491
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Maritime Technical Information Facility
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-MAR-80-06
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 21 1994 12:00AM