Mark Doughty was a 33-year-old Gloucester fisherman who went missing on August 5, 2001, when the trawler Starbound was struck 130 miles off Cape Ann by the Russian oil tanker Virgo. Mark was sleeping below deck when the collision occurred; the Starbound sank almost immediately and left little chance for the crew to escape. He and two other crew members were lost; the vessel’s captain, Joseph Marcantonio, was the sole survivor. The Starbound had been bound for Rockland, Maine, with a full load of herring when the tanker failed to yield to the smaller fishing boat.

A Coast Guard investigation did not find a clear reason why the tanker did not prevent the collision. Legal proceedings in Canada were later pursued but the charges against the tanker’s crew were eventually dropped. Mark’s body was never recovered. He left a wife and two young daughters, and his family continues to mourn and honor his memory.

If anyone was connected to the Starbound or remembers details from that voyage, please share information that might help fill gaps in the timeline.