SEATTLE — The Coast Guard and a maritime salvage company located the sunken fishing vessel Lady Cecilia, Sunday, approximately 20 miles off Point Ledbetter near Willapa Bay, Wash.

The Lady Cecilia and its crew of four were lost at sea in March 2012 after no distress signals or mayday calls were made. A Formal Board of Investigation into the cause of the accident commenced in April.

The Coast Guard contracted the FDS to locate and examine the wreck of the Lady Cecilia using a remote operating vehicle, which discovered it in approximately 460-feet of water.

The ROV operations, which were conducted off the Coast Guard Cutter Fir, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Astoria, Ore., were performed to assist Coast Guard Investigators to determine the cause of the sinking. The ROV underwater video of the vessel will be closely analyzed by investigators over the next several weeks and the findings presented at a future Formal Board of Investigation public hearing in Astoria.

Click here for a previous press release pertaining to the Lady Cecilia.

For addtional information contact Lt. Anthony Hillenbrand at (503) 247-4020.

Source: USCG