Body of Sea Tractor crewman recovered

The body of one of the three crewmen of a Carteret County-based fishing boat that sank earlier this month off the coast of New Jersey has been recovered.

The identification of a body found over the weekend on the Outer Banks has been confirmed to be Kenneth Rose Sr., 73, the owner of the fishing vessel Sea Tractor, according to a news release from Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The Sea Tractor sank Nov. 11 off the coast of Cape May, NJ, and the crew was lost at sea. On board were Rose Sr., his son, Kenneth Rose Jr., 49, and crewman Larry Forrest.

A debris field was found by the Coast Guard within an hour after it received a transmission from the boat’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon. There was an empty life raft but no sign of the men.

The life raft from the Sea Tractor was found last week at Pea Island, a few days prior to Rose’s body being recovered, said Coast Guard Ensign Caleb Peacock, public affairs officer for Sector North Carolina.

Rose’s body washed ashore at the beach at the north end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and was found Saturday by a visitor who was collecting seashells on the beach, the news release said.

He was recovered about 200 yards south of the south jetty at Oregon Inlet.

Several unique scars and a gold ring provided a probable identification, which was confirmed Tuesday by the medical examiner, the release said.