“My dad was a real life hero, we are so proud to be his family and we miss him more than words can say,” said Dr. Lily Sanfilippo, daughter of Capt. Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo. “Thank you Gloucester for helping us keep his memory, his story and his legacy alive.”
The Sanfilippo family was presented with three Mariners Medals that Gus Sanfilippo was awarded posthumously for his heroic acts on the high seas during a special City Council meeting Wednesday evening.
During the ceremony, City Hall’s Kyrouz Auditorium was filled with Sanfilippo family members, state and local officials as well community members who came out in support of the captain and his whole family.
“Captain Gus is the finest kind,” said state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester.
“I didn’t have the pleasure to know Gus personally but reading over the accounts of what happened, I think that Gus is the perfect embodiment of what this medal is for and what Gloucester stands for,” said 5th Essex District state Rep. Dru Tarr, D-Gloucester.
The City Council had unanimously voted to award Sanfilippo the three medals posthumously during its Aug. 25 meeting. Sanfilippo was one of the seven crew members aboard the Lily Jean who were lost when the fishing vessel sank Jan. 30.
The earliest of the three incidents when the captain displayed heroism occurred Dec. 20, 2000. Sanfilippo was the first to respond to a mayday call from the Newport, Rhode Island-based Holly & Alexander. Sanfilippo rescued the 65-foot fishing vessel’s three crew members from a life raft after the ship began taking on water.
Detailing each incident Wednesday was Bruce Tarr.
“Capt. Gus and his crew decided to change course, to stop fishing and to save the souls that where on that life boat, in the dark,” he said. “Think about what it takes to find a life boat in the vast Northeast Atlantic.”
Then on June 12, 2007, Sanfilippo rescued four Gloucester fishermen from the 90-foot Virginia Surf before it eventually sank about 70 miles off Chatham. The Lily Jean radioed to the Coast Guard and steamed toward the sinking vessel while a 210-foot cutter from Kittery, Maine, was dispatched.
“They skilfully navigated to find where that vessel was and they took the crew on board and saved their lives,” Tarr said. “It’s the very best of who we are in this port.”
The last event Sanfilippo was honored for occurred Oct. 23, 2011, when he assisted off-duty Coast Guardsmen with putting out a fire in the engine room of the 50-foot Elizabeth Ann. The vessel caught fire about 23 miles east southeast of Gloucester and Sanfilippo provided the Coast Guardsmen with fire extinguishers.
“There needed to be more firefighting capacity and it needed to respond quickly. Capt. Gus, the crew of the Lily Jean, they heard that radio transmission too,” Tarr said. “With a vessel on fire, they came close enough alongside to pass the needed fire extinguishers.”
Several of the ceremony’s speakers spoke highly about Gus Sanfilippo’s character, saying he never wanted recognition because helping those in trouble at sea was what needed to be done.
“He did those things because helping people was simply part of who he was. It wasn’t something that he thought about or did for recognition, it was just the kind of person he was,” said Lily Sanfilippo, a local optometrist. “These actions were a true testament to how caring and selfless he was.”
Gus Sanfilippo was initially nominated for the medals by Bruce Tarr and Ted Costa, a licensed captain, but it was Lily Sanfilippo who was the driving force.
Lily Sanfilippo said her grandfather made her promise him that one day, she would get her father the Mariners Medals he deserved.
“In seventh grade I drafted a nomination for my father, I told my dad about it and he refused,” she said. “It means so much to me that I was able to fulfill my grampy’s wishes and finally, my dad received the recognition he so deserved for his bravery and dedication to the industry.”
After he was nominated, the Mariners Medal Committee, consisting of Mayor Paul Lundberg and former fishing Capts. Vito Giacalone, David Leveille and Joseph Orlando, as well as resident Mary Fay “Miffy” Summers, unanimously voted the City Council award Sanfilippo three medals.
“Gus’ unselfish courage and unwavering calm under pressure and extraordinary seamanship reflects the absolute finest virtues of the fishing communities,” City Council President Tony Gross said.
Staff Writer Bobby Grady may be contacted at 978-675-2714 or bgrady@gloucestertimes.com.