Overview
- The fishing vessel Lily Jean sank about 25 miles off Gloucester on Jan. 30, 2026, and seven people aboard died with only the captain’s body recovered.
- In a July 27 letter the Navy told Governor Maura Healey it cannot perform salvage or recovery for the wreck and said it is sympathetic to the families.
- The Navy cited law and procedure, saying the Salvage Facilities Act requires salvage services to be reimbursable and that a formal government request plus contracting is needed to deploy naval salvage teams.
- The letter said the Coast Guard and the NTSB have the information needed to conclude the probe and the NTSB does not plan to raise the vessel as part of its investigation.
- Local officials and some relatives criticized the decision, other families prefer the wreck left undisturbed, and Massachusetts officials say they will review the correspondence and pursue state and other avenues to recover data and seek closure.