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Crewman’s body recovered from sunken fishing boat

CAPE MAY - The Coast Guard says commercial divers have recovered the body of a crew member killed when a fishing boat sank off southern New Jersey in March.

The fishing vessel Lady Mary (left), seen here moored in Cape May Harbor in 2004, sank on March 24 about 75 miles off the coast with seven people aboard. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Seaman Daniel Kehlenbach)
The fishing vessel Lady Mary (left), seen here moored in Cape May Harbor in 2004, sank on March 24 about 75 miles off the coast with seven people aboard. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Seaman Daniel Kehlenbach)Read more

CAPE MAY - The Coast Guard says commercial divers have recovered the body of a crew member killed when a fishing boat sank off southern New Jersey in March.

Divers found the body of Tarzon "Bernie Mac" Smith around 8 p.m. yesterday while searching the Lady Mary, a 71-foot fishing boat that went down about 75 miles east of Cape May.

They notified the Coast Guard, and the body was transported to Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point for identification.

The Coast Guard announced the development today.

Smith was one of six crew members who perished when the vessel sank March 24; one survived.

A joint Coast Guard-National Transportation Safety Board inquiry is investigating the sinking.