Hope fades in search for 4 lost at sea

Coast Guard crews resumed combing a 225-square mile swath of the Atlantic Ocean this morning, searching for survivors of a fishing boat that sank yesterday off the coast South Jersey.

The Lady Mary, a 71-foot scallop boat, went down in rough seas about 75-miles southeast of Cape May early yesterday morning.

Four crew members remain lost at sea.

Seven crewmen were aboard the craft, which had been plying an area known as the Elephant's Trunk, a prime scalloping spot.

Rescuers plucked three of the crew from the icy waters yesterday. Only one survived.

The men were wearing water survival suits, but experts say their effectiveness diminishes over time.

This morning, helicopters and a C-130 airplane from Atlantic City took off at first light. A Coast Guard cutter searched throughout the night but found nothing, said Petty Officer Chris McLaughlin, a Coast Guard spokesman.