Dead Men Tapping: The End of the Heather Lynne II

By Kate Yeomans

Book Overview

In 1996, the Heather Lynne II was struck by a barge and overturned in calm seas 10 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts. The three men onboard didn't survive. This work opens four years later in a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071445463
• ISBN13: 9780071445467
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.2" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

a true story of a collision at sea & a botched rescue

A great true story of a tragedy at sea. Takes place off Gloucester, Mass If you are interested in boats, the ocean, and non fiction this is a good read Well written and not overloaded with unimportant details like many other non fiction books

A Rescue Gone Wrong - Review of "Dead Men Tapping: The End of the Heather Lynne II" by Kate Yeomans

I grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts - within a stone's throw from the mouth of the Merrimac River. We lived close enough to the river that I could tell by the smells in the air how high or low the tide was at any moment. So, when I learned that "Dead Men Tapping" told the tale of an ill-fated fishing boat based in Newburyport, I knew I had to read it. It was as if the story of "The Perfect Storm" were being retold, but with connections even closer to home. Kate Yeomans is part of the Newburyport fishing community, so as she tells the story of the demise of the Heather Lynne II and her three-man crew in 1996 off the coast of Gloucester, she makes no claims at objectivity. It is clear that many members of that close-knit community feel strongly that Kevin Foster, Jeffrey Hutchins and John Michael Lowther need not have died that September day ten years ago. The boat, heading out to Jeffrey's Ledge for a day of fishing for the elusive bluefin tuna, was run down by a tugboat and the 272-foot barge it was towing. The Heather Lynne II capsized, leaving her crew trapped in an air pocket struggling to survive and tapping on the hull to let would-be rescuers know they were still alive. The book's author does a "yeoman's job" in telling the story of what happened that day, and of the subsequent hearings and trial that sought to unravel the mystery of why the elaborate Search & Rescue efforts led by the Coast Guard ultimately resulted in the recovery of three bodies rather than the rescue of three live fisherman. While telling a very balanced story, it is clear that Ms. Yeoman's sympathies lie with the families of the men who perished that day and who sought to lay the blame at the feet of the usually-reliable Coast Guard. I will not elaborate on the details of the accident and the subsequent S & R activities; the author fills over 300 pages with riveting and elaborate reconstruction of those events. So, read the book. What emerged for me was a surprising picture of the Coast Guard and the decisions its personnel made that day. Ironically, Newburyport was the place where the U.S. Coast Guard was born - with the launching of the first revenue cutter in the early 1790's. I have always thought of the Coast Guard as identical with its motto - Semper Paratus (Always Prepared). I have many friends who are graduates of the Coast Guard Academy and others who have served as enlisted men and officers in the USCG. I hold them and what they do in the highest esteem. What emerged as I read this book was a picture of an organization that is undergoing a "sea change" in its mission - a picture painted through anecdotes of the often-uneven ways in which that changing mission is carried out. Chronically under-funded and under-staffed, the Coast Guard has not been able to keep up with the growing demands and the high expectations that the boating public has for this group of men and women who have distinguished themselves with a stellar record of over two centuries