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November 24, 2009
UPDATE….Body recovered on Pea Island is that of missing Carteret County fisherman By IRENE NOLAN  The
body recovered on Saturday, Nov. 21, from the Pea Island National
Wildlife Refuge beach was identified today as Kenneth Rose, Sr., 73,
one of the three crewmen of the Sea Tractor, a 44-foot fishing boat
which was lost at sea on Nov. 11 off the coast of Cape May, N.J.,
during a northeaster. Rose was the patriarch of a well known commercial fishing family in Broad Creek, N.C., in Carteret County. According to a media release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U. S. Coast Guard received a transmission from the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) on the Sea Tractor at 7:35 p.m., indicating it was in distress. Onboard the vessel were Rose Sr., his son Kenneth Jr., 49, and crewman Larry Forrest, 55, all from Carteret County. A rescue helicopter from Atlantic City arrived at the site an hour later and found a debris field, including an empty life raft. Until Saturday, there had been no sign of the three men. A week later on Wednesday, Nov. 18, an empty life raft washed up on a Pea Island beach. A Coast Guard spokesman said yesterday it was from the Sea Tractor. On Saturday, at 12:15 pm, Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement Officer Jay Eddy received a call that a body had washed ashore on the beach at the north end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Eddu said the body was found approximately 200 yards south of the south jetty at Oregon Inlet. Immediately following the discovery of the body, thoughts turned to the men aboard the Sea Tractor. News of the barge headed for New Jersey that had run aground in Sandbridge, Va., and documentation of the Sea Tractor's life raft washing up several days prior to the body on refuge beaches led to the logical suspicion that the unidentified man may be one of the Sea Tractor's crew. Eddy contacted a member of the family to gather identifying information. Several unique scars and an identifiable gold ring provided the evidence needed to point the medical examiner to a probable identification. Confirmation that the body was, in fact, Kenneth Rose, Sr. was received today from the medical examiner. According to an article in the News-Times of Carteret County, Kenneth Rose, Sr., was a well known and respected fisherman in the area. R.W. Jones, longtime fish dealer and owner of R.W. Jones Fish Co., knew the Roses for years. He knew them as hardworking, good people and seasoned fisherman, he said. And he has taken their loss to heart. According to Jones, Kenneth Rose Sr. had worked for him nearly 35 years before buying his own trawler. Jones said Rose Sr. and his crew were seasoned fishermen. “These men knew the sea and respected it,” he said. “I have laid awake at night trying to figure out what could have happened,” he said about last week’s accident. The Sea Tractor was carrying 50 boxes of fluke weighing a total of 5,000 pounds when it went down. Coast Guard reports indicate, a cooler, and some debris were the only remains found from the Sea Tractor. Although there were survival suits on board, it didn’t appear the fishermen had time to put the suits on. “They didn’t take chances, and I can see them working hard to save their boat,” Jones said. “Whatever happened to them, it happened quick.” To read the News-Times article on The Rose family and commercial fishing safety, go to: http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/articles/2009/11/18/news-times/news/doc4b041b045b404639146846.txt November 23, 2009 Body that washed ashore at Pea Island believed to be North Carolina fisherman By IRENE NOLAN A body that washed ashore on the beach at the
north end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, Nov. 21,
is apparently one of three North Carolina commercial fishermen whose
boat sank Wednesday night, Nov. 11, in a coastal storm off the coast of
New Jersey. Kenneth Rose Jr., 49, the captain of the Sea Tractor, his 75-year-old father, Kenneth Sr., and crew member Larry Forrest, 55, were aboard the 44-foot fishing boat when it sank 20 miles east of Cape May. Peacock said he did not know where in North Carolina the men were from. Eddy is coordinating with the Medical Examiner's
Office to positively identify the victim. Others assisting in the
investigation include the Dare County Sheriff's Office, National Park
Service, and the United States Coast Guard. |
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