Update: History Channel ‘Nor’Easter Men’ Vessel ‘Lily Jean’ Sinks Off Cape Ann

GLOUCESTER, MA (THECOUNT) — John Paul Rousanidis, 33, of Salem/Peabody; Sean Therrien, 44, of Lynn/Peabody; Freeman Short, of the Marshfield/Scituate area; Captain Gus Sanfilippo, a well-known Gloucester fisherman; Paul Beal Sr.; Paul Beal Jr.; and observer Jada Samitt have been identified as the seven people aboard the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean when it sank approximately 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, on Friday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and family confirmations.

The Coast Guard announced Saturday that it was suspending its emergency search efforts after crews searched throughout Friday and into Saturday for those missing in the waters off the Massachusetts coast. Officials confirmed that one body was recovered Friday, while six others remain missing.

Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick described the decision to suspend the search as “incredibly difficult,” noting that multiple air and sea assets were deployed across a wide search area during the operation.

The vessel went down in an area of the North Atlantic known for active commercial fishing traffic operating out of Gloucester and surrounding ports along the Massachusetts coastline. Authorities have not released details regarding what caused the vessel to sink.

Sanfilippo and members of his crew were previously featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel series Nor’Easter Men, which documented the dangerous work performed by commercial fishermen in the region.

A longtime friend of Sanfilippo told Boston 25 that the captain had mentored him for more than a decade, teaching him the fishing trade and allowing him aboard his vessel years earlier.

“You don’t think that someone like him that’s been around for so long doing it… that it would happen like that,” the friend said. “He took me under his wing 12 years ago, he let me come on the boat and taught me basically everything I know now.”

The Coast Guard confirmed that seven individuals were aboard the Lily Jean at the time of the sinking. Search crews worked continuously in challenging ocean conditions before making the decision to suspend the effort.

Marine conditions at the time of the sinking have not been formally detailed by the Coast Guard, but the stretch of Atlantic waters off Cape Ann is widely known among commercial fishermen for rapidly changing weather, strong currents, and heavy vessel traffic tied to the region’s active fishing grounds. Investigators are expected to examine environmental data, vessel communications, and safety equipment records as part of the effort to determine how the Lily Jean was lost.

The Gloucester fishing fleet regularly operates in these offshore areas, where crews often spend extended hours working gear in demanding conditions. The loss of a vessel in these waters is a rare but sobering reminder of the occupational hazards faced daily by those in the commercial fishing industry. Federal investigators typically review vessel maintenance history, licensing, and last known contact when reconstructing a maritime casualty timeline.

Family confirmations and Coast Guard statements have gradually clarified who was aboard at the time of the incident, as loved ones continue to wait for definitive answers. Officials reiterated that while the active search has been suspended, the case remains open as a marine casualty investigation, with findings to be released once the review is complete.

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