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Swept off the deck

 

November 2, 1945

Fisherman Swept Off Dragger's Deck
Virgil O'Brien, Old Glory's Cook Lost
Wednesday Evening on Cashe's Bank

Swept overboard by a huge comber which raked the auxiliary fishing dragger Old Glory off Cashe's, 60 miles from here early Wednesday evening, Virgil O'Brien, 40 years, was lost at sea.

He was on his second trip as cook of the Old Glory which is commanded by Capt. Anino Frontiero, of this port.  Capt. Frontiero and his men braved the fierce elements in cruising the area for more than an hour but never saw a trace of the cook.  The American flag on the dragger was at half mast when the craft with 20,000 pounds of redfish arrived at Independent Fish company wharf, off Railway avenue, about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

O'Brien had previously been cook aboard the auxiliary dragger Cigar Joe, Capt. Joe Frontiero, of this port but left recently to go with the Old Glory.  They left here last Saturday night.  They ran into heavy weather off Cashe's Wednesday, the wind blowing between 35 and 40 miles an hour, and whipping up strong seas which swept over the dragger.

According to the skipper, O'Brien was coming to deck from his galley to relieve the wheelsman to allow the latter to get his supper about 6.16 o'clock Wednesday evening.  O'Brien hollered to the wheelsman and just then, a sea struck the craft, and O'Brien was lost to sight.   He was never seen afterward, said the skipper.

 

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