RedactedNarrative: AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 ON JULY 12, 2016, VESSEL WITH VIRGINIA REGISTRATION VAxxxxxx LAUNCHED FROM CROAKER BOAT LANDING IN JAMES CITY COUNTY ON THE YORK RIVER WITH SIX PERSONS ON BOARD. OCCUPANTS ADVISED THEY DID CONSULT WEATHER REPORTS PRIOR TO LAUNCHING THE VESSEL. OPERATOR SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A BOATER SAFETY COURSE. THERE WERE SUFFICIENT PFDS FOR ALL PERSONS ABOARD. ALL REQUIRED SAFETY EQUIPMENT WAS PRESENT ON THE VESSEL. ACCORDING TO VICTIM STATEMENTS, THE VESSEL WAS ANCHORED FROM THE BOW WHILE THEY WERE FISHING; A BOW MOUNTED ANCHOR SYSTEM CORROBORATES THIS STATEMENT. DURING THE TIME THE VESSEL WAS ANCHORED, THEY CONTINUOUSLY TOOK WATER OVER THE STERN OF THE BOAT WHICH HAD A LOW TRANSOM AND LITTLE FREEBOARD. DURING THIS TIME, THE BILGE PUMP IN THE VESSEL'S HULL WAS FUNCTIONAL AND WAS PUMPING OUT WATER. VICTIMS STATE THE BILGE WAS NOT RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY BUT WAS CYCLING ON AND OFF DUE TO A FLOAT SWITCH. INVESTIGATION CONFIRMED THERE WAS A FLOAT SWITCH ON THE 2200 GPH (GALLON PER HOUR) BILGE PUMP MOUNTED TO THE VESSEL'S HULL IN THE BILGE. VICTIMS STATE THEY REMOVED THE BILGE COVER AT ONE POINT AND SAW THE BILGE PUMP, AN APPROXIMATELY 7 INCH TALL PUMP, WAS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED IN THE BILGE.  DUE TO THE WEATHER AND AN INCREASE IN WAVE ACTIVITY, THEY DECIDED TO RETURN TO CROAKER LANDING AROUND NOON. A STATEMENT AT THE HOSPITAL FROM SUBJECT#1 INDICATES THAT THE MAIN BILGE STOPPED WORKING WHILE UNDERWAY. AN AUXILIARY BILGE (500 GPH) WAS CONNECTED TO A BATTERY VIA GATOR CLAMPS BUT COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE BILGE. INVESTIGATION SHOWS THERE ARE MULTIPLE HOLES IN THE TRANSOM WHERE EQUIPMENT WAS MOUNTED AND CABLES WERE RUN THROUGH THE TRANSOM. THE HOLES HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH SEALANT BUT THE SEALANT WAS WEAK AND IN SOME AREAS DID NOT CREATE A SEAL, ALLOWING WATER INTO THE BILGE. ADDITIONALLY, STATEMENTS MADE INDICATE THAT WAVES WERE CONTINUOUSLY CRASHING OVER THE GUNWALES AND STERN OF THE VESSEL FILLING THE BILGE. THE AUXILIARY BILGE WAS UNABLE TO PUMP OUT WATER AT THE SAME RATE WATER WAS ENTERING THE VESSEL. SUBJECT#1 STATED THE MOTOR SHUT OFF AT ONE POINT. THE OPERATOR, OPERATOR#1, WAS ABLE TO START THE MOTOR BACK UP AND ATTEMPTED TO GET THE BOAT ON PLANE IN ORDER TO DRAIN THE WATER FROM THE SELF-SEALING SCUPPER HOLES IN THE PORT AND STARBOARD TRANSOM. OPERATOR#1 INSTRUCTED THE MEN TO STAND IN THE BACK OF THE BOAT IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO GET THE BOW UP OUT OF THE WATER. SUBJECT#1 AND SUBJECT#2 WERE ON THE STERN OF THE VESSEL WITH SUBJECT#3 STANDING NEXT TO OPERATOR#1 ON THE STARBOARD. SUBJECT#4 AND SUBJECT#5 WERE SITTING IN THE BOW OF THE VESSEL.  AT THIS POINT, THE STERN OF THE BOAT SWAMPED CAUSING THE VESSEL TO ROLL HARD STARBOARD AND CAPSIZING. SUBJECT#4 AND SUBJECT#5 WERE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE BOAT AS IT CAPSIZED. OPERATOR#1, SUBJECT#2, AND SUBJECT#3 CORROBORATED THESE STATEMENTS AT THE HOSPITAL ON JULY 12, 2016. SUBJECT#1 AND SUBJECT#2 ADDED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THEY COULD SEE THE FISHING PIER AT CROAKER LANDING. ACCORDING TO SUBJECT#1 ALL INDIVIDUALS ATTEMPTED TO GRAB LIFE JACKETS AS THE VESSEL CAPSIZED. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, SUBJECT#4, SUBJECT#5, AND SUBJECT#3 WERE WEARING LIFEJACKETS. SUBJECT#3 AND SUBJECT#2 WERE THROWN FROM THE VESSEL WHEN IT CAPSIZED. SURVIVING VICTIMS ESTIMATE TIME OF INCIDENT TO BE APPROXIMATELY 1230. SUBJECT#2, A WEAK SWIMMER DUE TO AGE, HELD ON TO THE MOTOR. SUBJECT#3 AND OPERATOR#1 ATTEMPTED TO FREE SUBJECT#4 AND SUBJECT#5 FROM UNDERNEATH THE VESSEL BUT ADVISED THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO SO FOR SOME TIME DUE TO THE PFDS SUBJECT#4 AND SUBJECT#5 WERE WEARING. ALL VICTIMS STATED THEY DID NOT SEE ANY VESSELS IN THE AREA CLOSE ENOUGH TO HELP THEM. SUBJECT#2 STATED THAT HE LOOKED AT HIS WATCH AT APPROXIMATELY 1438 WHEN A VESSEL APPROACHED THEM TO ASSIST. VICTIMS WERE RECOVERED FROM WATER AND TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL. INVESTIGATION LATER REVEALED THAT THE PLUG WAS IN THE VESSEL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.