The purse seiner which caught fire on Wednesday at the main dock, Jeanette, has sunk about 17 nautical miles south of Tutuila.
According to US Coast Guard Lt. Al Blaisdell this occurred late yesterday morning.
All that was saved from the boat before it went down was its skiff.
The boat had on board a full load of fish as it had returned earlier this week from a fishing trip and had not been able to unload its catch when the fire occurred.
Investigators from the US Coast Guard Honolulu Office arrived last night to look into the fire.
The Jeanette has been fishing for StarKist Samoa for many years.
In a statement issued yesterday the tuna company said, “We are sorry for the loss of the Jeanette and send our sincere condolences to the vessel’s owner, Joe Finnette. We are thankful that no one was injured. Mr. Finnette, and the Jeanette, have supplied fish to StarKist Samoa for many years. They have been a wonderful partner and this is a significant loss to us, and to the American Samoa fishing industry”.
