PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 5, 2026
Freeman Short was a fourth-generation fisherman. Short, 31, was one of seven people aboard the Lily Jean when it sank off the coast of Massachusetts on Jan. 30. The U.S. Coast Guard launched a search but suspended it the following day, having covered about 1,000 square miles using aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period. The 72-foot vessel was returning to port early to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters. There wasn’t a mayday call from Lily Jean as it navigated its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard was notified by the boat’s beacon, which sends out an alert when it hits the water.