Dead Men Tapping : The End of the Heather Lynn II
A 1996 collision off the Massachusetts coast between a barge-pulling tugboat and the fishing boat Heather Lynn II resulted in the latter overturning and trapping all three crewmen, who tapped on the ship's hull to let nearby fishermen know they were alive. When the Coast Guard showed up too late to help the crew, questions were asked and lawsuits filed. Tracking the 2000 lawsuit, Yeomans, herself a writer, fisherman and boat captain, jumps back and forth between courtroom statements and the events of the fateful day. Connecting the testimony of each participant-the tugboat captain, the salvager, local fishermen and Coast Guard personnel-and a recap of their day with her clean prose and knowledgeable insight, Yeomans brings the tragic day to life on the page. Helping to put this sad tale in the right context and provide the reader with a historical perspective, Yeomans intersperses similar tales of boat-to-boat collisions and rescue missions where the Coast Guard's actions and protocol were questioned. While the story is compelling, this book doesn't truly pull at one's heart-strings like the best of ocean adventure books have, because Yeomans never really puts the reader in the shoes of the three lost fishermen. Still, filled with examples of maritime law and the unwritten laws of the sea and seafarers, this book provides an intriguing glimpse into the lives of the men and women who are employed in one of America's most dangerous professions.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.