Joseph Jones, a 28-year-old fisherman, went missing on October 20, 2009, when the commercial fishing vessel *Bottom Basher* sank in Cobscook Bay, Maine. Jones, along with two other crew members, was aboard the 34-foot dragger during an urchin-fishing expedition. The last confirmed sighting of the boat occurred near Falls Island around 1:00 p.m. that day.
A passing fisherman noted the vessel’s presence, but later that night, a concerned party reported the boat overdue, prompting a large-scale search effort.
The next day, the body of one crew member, Daryl Cline, was recovered, but Jones and the remaining crew member were not immediately found. Despite extensive search efforts by U.S. and Canadian forces, including the use of side-scan sonar, the wreck of the *Bottom Basher* was not located, and Jones remained missing. The search, which spanned several days, involved various agencies and local community efforts but was ultimately called off as hopes of finding survivors faded.
In the months following the incident, pieces of the sunken vessel were discovered, but the exact cause of the sinking remains speculative. The tragic event highlighted the inherent dangers of small dragger fishing operations in the region, where rough underwater terrain and unpredictable currents have caused several similar accidents over the years. Jones' body was never recovered, and his disappearance remains part of the many maritime tragedies in Maine’s fishing communities.Last Seen: Oct 20, 2009
