Sherry Ann Dale New Bedford, MA

Vessel Details

9/17/1987

On September 17, 1987, the Sherry Ann Dale developed engine trouble  and began taking on water. They were about 60 miles south of Montauk, Long Island. The crew was unable to get to their life jackets before the boat capsized and sank. A piece of plywood with a life ring attached floated to the surface, and the men hung on to it. After about twelve hours, crew member Jonathan Best drifted away from the others and sank. Twenty-five hours after the ship sank, the fishing boat Lori L. saw the men and rescued them. A Coast Guard helicopter flew the survivors--Captain Dale Smith, Randy Smeaton, and Bradford Boudakian--to Southampton Hospital, where they were treated for hypothermia.

Name Age
Jonathan Best 31
  • Trade Indicator: Fishery
  • Hull Material: Steel
  • Year Built: 1974
  • Ship Builder: Somerset, MA
  • Owner: Alexander R. Smith
  • Previous Owners:
  • Service: Commercial fishing
  • Doc. Issuance Date:
  • Doc. Expiration Date:
  • USCG Doc. No.: 559884
  • IMO Number:
  • Call Sign: WYP4442
  • Hull Number:
  • Length (ft): 52.0 ft.
  • Hull Depth (ft): 6.2 ft.
  • Hull Breadth (ft): 15.3 ft
  • Gross Tonnage: 29
  • Net Tonnage: 24

Month of November

Vessel Year
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Acushnet 1940
[Vessel Name Unknown] 1944
Alert 1947
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Mary M. 1951
Nautilus 1960
Midnight Sun 1962

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