Fishing vessel catches fire and runs aground

By Christopher Vaughan

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

Residents of Three Rock Cove, N.L. awoke the morning of Nov. 14 to an extraordinary site.

The Andrea Rose, a fishing vessel, was on fire and had grounded along the shoreline of the Port au Port peninsula community.

Mary Turrett, a local resident, said she heard a loud noise in the early hours of the morning after going to bed.

“It seemed like I wasn’t there no time, when I heard boom, and wondered what was that was,” she said.

Michael Collier, another local resident, also heard the early morning sounds of an explosion.

“Before daylight, you could see the flames,” he said.

The vessel listed back and forth along the shore, as remnants of the fire licked out and blackened smoke churned its way into the morning sky.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans reported the Raptor II – another fishing vessel in the area – had rescued the Andrea Rose’s two crewmembers. However, the department could not speculate on the cause of the fire.

“We have no idea other than the fact she was reported on fire and one of the fishing vessels in the area went in and picked up the crew,” said Dan Frampton, department spokesperson. “Once the crew are off, it’s no longer as big a concern as when the crew are on board.”

While the vessel struggled against the rocks, department planes were seen flying overhead.

“The patrol aircraft checks out where it is to establish a position and things like that ¬– that’s not uncommon,” said Frampton.

He noted the boat carrying the two rescued crewmen headed for port in Bonne Bay.

Transport Canada Vessel Registration System lists the Andrea Rose’s owners as Tucker and Son Ltd. of Reef’s Harbour.

(Christopher Vaughan is a journalist with Transcontinental Media’s Stephenville Georgian newspaper and a contributor to the Sou’Wester.)