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Report: Structural Problems, Flooding Caused Fatal Sinking Of Gloucester Fishing Boat

GLOUCESTER (AP) — A National Transportation Safety Board report on the deadly sinking of a Massachusetts fishing vessel says it likely was caused by structural failure of the boat's wooden hull and flooding.

The NTSB and the Coast Guard on Thursday released reports into the Dec. 3, 2015, sinking of the 51-foot Orin C.

The Coast Guard report says a pump meant to drain the Gloucester fishing vessel of water malfunctioned and the crew of three "may have had difficulty understanding how to operate the pump."

The Orin C sank about 13 miles off Cape Ann as it was being towed to port.

The NTSB report says boat captain and owner David Sutherland jumped overboard during a Coast Guard rescue attempt and drowned. The other two crew members survived uninjured.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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