Out of Gloucester


 

The Inca left Gloucester harbor on December 30, 1943 to spend the winter fishing out of Norfolk, Va. In all the winters she had gone south, she never took over six days for any trip, always fishing along the shore.

The week of January 11th, a steamer arrived in Norfolk to report that the craft had rammed and sunk a fishing vessel off Chesapeake Bay earlier the previous week. When the steamer finally reversed engines and got back to the locale of the accident, there was nothing to indicate what had been hit and although the area was scoured, no trace of the ill-fated ship was found.

Naval authorities at Norfolk made an exhaustive search of the area but could find no trace of the Inca. They checked the entire district and accounted for every boat but the Inca.

Three days later, the bodies of two of the crew were recovered snarled in the nets of another fishing vessel, and brought to Phoebus, Va.

The crew of the Inca:

Capt. John Orlando, 36 years, leaves a widow and two daughters
Vincent Orlando, 57 years, leaves a widow and twelve children
(he was the father of the captain)
Vito Asaro, 37 years, leaves a widow and two sons
(he was brother-in-law to Capt. Orlando)
John R. "Red" Powers, 52 years, single
Harold V. Hudson, 25 years, leaves a widow and two daughters
Thomas W. Best, 62 years, leaves a widow and one daughter
Arthur J. DeCoste, 34 years, leaves a widow and three sons

The widow of Thomas Best had previously lost her first husband, Hubert Fiander, at sea, as well as losing a son at sea.

 

  Out of GloucesterOut of Gloucester

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