New Bedford again grieves for its sons lost to the sea
NEW BEDFORD — The loss of two fishermen in the sinking of a clamming boat this week stunned this port city long familiar with the dangers of the sea.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the Misty Blue tragedy “a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in commercial fishing,” adding that it “underscores the respect and appreciation we have for those who make their living at sea.”
He said the city pledges its support for the families of the lost crew members of the Misty Blue — Jonathan Saraiva and Michael Roberts.
Fred Toomey, president of the New Bedford Port Society, said the memory of lost mariners most recently took the form of a service at the nonprofit’s Seamen’s Bethel, where the names of seamen lost are engraved on large marble tablets and displayed for family and the fishing community to remember.
“Three weeks ago, we added six names,” Toomey said — three for sailors lost in 2016, two who were lost this year, and one from 1955.
The tablets in the chapel hold the names of more than 400 seamen lost since the 1830s, a list written in stone that’s read out every Memorial Day in New Bedford.
“We are trying to bring them closure,” Toomey added. “They know there’s no grave markers. There’s no body. It gives them a place to come, so they can reflect on their lost members of their family.”
The 69-foot clam boat Misty Blue rolled over and sank Monday night 10 miles off Nantucket, while the crew was harvesting surf clams. The boat’s 44-yearold captain and a 22-year-old sailor were rescued. The boat’s owner, Atlantic Capes Fisheries, has said it doesn’t know why the boat sank. Divers from the state police expect to return to where they believe the ship sank.