Fishing Boat Sinks on the Bering

October 23, 2008

Production Note: The fishing boat mentioned in the following news story was a long-liner named the Katmai out of Seattle. Long-liners typically fish swordfish, tuna, halibut and sablefish.* The Katmai was fishing cod in the same area as the Deadliest Catch boats when it sank. None of the Deadliest Catch fleet was involved.

4 saved, 5 dead after Alaska fishing boat sinks
Two still missing after survivors plucked from raft in frigid and stormy seas

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Four crew members of a fishing boat were plucked alive from a life raft in frigid, stormy seas Wednesday, hours after their vessel was reported in distress, a Coast Guard spokesman says. Five crew members died, and two remained missing.

A search continued for the remaining two crew members of the Katmai, a 93-foot fish processor based on Alaska's Kodiak island, Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said.

Read said two more deceased crew members were located Wednesday night by a fishing vessel assisting the Coast Guard in the search. Three bodies were recovered earlier.

'A lot of heart'
The water was 43 degrees when rescuers hauled the survivors out of the raft, Read said. He couldn't speculate on how long they were in the raft because it was not known exactly when they abandoned their boat. Still, he said, several factors helped them survive.

"That takes a lot of fortitude and a lot of heart," Read said. Their survival suits, their physical condition, and an effort to keep one another semi-warm and awake all could have helped them endure, he said.

The four survivors were discovered in the raft near the Amchitka Pass, which links the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean about 1,400 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The survivors were able to tell rescuers that all 11 crew members had been able to get into their survival suits before the Katmai sank, Read said.

Since no oil sheen typically seen from sunken vessels had been spotted, the Coast Guard had earlier been reluctant to say with certainty that the vessel had sunk.

"They said the boat did go down," Read confirmed.

The survivors stayed aboard a Coast Guard helicopter, helping with the search, until it returned to nearby Adak Island to refuel, Read said. They got off on Adak, where they were reported in good condition.

Not clear what happened
It wasn't clear what happened to the boat.

The Coast Guard received an electronic signal at 1 a.m. from the Katmai. A search helicopter and C-130 airplane were sent from Kodiak, a journey of about 4 1/2 hours. The plane crew spotted two strobe lights in the water and dropped two life rafts. But after sunup, the searchers had seen no sign of the Katmai or its crew, Read said.

One strobe was attached to an empty survival suit and the other was attached to a floating emergency beacon that can be triggered automatically by contact with water. Vessels are required to carry those devices to signal emergencies and aid searches.

The Coast Guard did not receive a mayday call, but given the boat's remote location, it may not have been heard.

"It's hard to say whether they tried or not," Read said.

Debris found in the search area included survival suits, fishing gear, a buoy and a life ring, Read said.

The Coast Guard reported 10- to 15-foot seas in the area, with winds from the north at 34 mph. The area had a mix of rain and snow.

The Katmai was carrying a load of cod and was heading toward Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, Read said. Dutch Harbor is 800 miles southwest of Anchorage and about 610 miles southwest of Kodiak.

According to state permit records, the Katmai is owned by Seattle-based Katmai Fisheries. Calls to the company were not immediately returned.

*Source: Wikipedia

Comments

[Steven Letsinger]

If it wasn't for the Coast Guard we would have many more
fishing stories that ended badly. My thanks to all the men and women that serve.

[Steven Letsinger]

If it wasn't for the Coast Guard we would have many more
fishing stories that ended badly. My thanks to all the men and women that serve.

[satria]

your posting is really informative, and that's really usefull for me, actually I have the related blog like you, I hope you can check on www.101aboutfishing.blogspot.com, I hope it will be usefull for u.

[Julia]

The boats and the crew featured in Deadliest Catch have become like family to our family. Because Dutch Harbor is small and everyone knows everyone, I prayed that this vessel was not involved in Dutch. I am heartbroken to see that it again hits so close to home. My prayers go out to the survivors, the families, and all of the crews as they continue with this season. Let's bring everyone else home.

[PIPHS]

I read the Seattle Times article about the sinking and I found out that one of the crew that didn't make it, is from Shoreline, WA, which is the town that Sig lives in. Small word.

[Coastie]

It's times like these that make me proud to be a member of such an amazing organization like the Coast Guard! I just hope we can figure out the cause of the accident and try to prevent it from happening again in the future.

[marius]

This page is for those who believe in some supernatural forces, existing somewhere beyond, assisting people in fortune and in misfortune. If you believe in it, I can help you to understand, advice or maybe cure. If you don't believe, don't waste your time.
www.signofluck.com/

[DW]

Those who choose to challenge the seas are a special breed.
I was saddened to learn of the Katmai's sinking.
My prayers go out to the families of those who perished in this latest tragedy.
Be as strong as the one you lost...and find peace in knowing such a person for whatever time you shared.

[Gary DeToma]

I would like to thank the coast guard for risking their lives to save people who fish our seas. I also have a question. The article about the Katmai said that it's Mayday may not have been heard because of it's location. Do these ships not have some sort of GPS connection to the coast guard? A simple button that would send a GPS signal to a coast guard station.

[CaptainZ]

The Coast Guard is the best. I have had people charter my yacht in weather only rats could survive in and invariably get in trouble.

Twice -- the Coast Guard has saved my boat... and the people who chartered it!

The tax payers money may be wated on a lot of things, but it is well spent on the Coast Guard.

Thank's to the Guard!
CaptainZ

[Phillip Stone]

I have tried several diffrent sites includeing the weekly digest of the show, and no one seems to know when the new season will start, i would like to know when will the new season start? month and channel and time as i am anxiously waiting to see what the crews do for the new season. If possible by any chance for someone to email me at my address to let me know exactly when the new season will start thanks.

[Katmai sinking]

The Katmai is a tragedy, especially with fishing boats going down every year. I'm surprised why this is still tolerable in this country. The Katmai is only popular because of the footage. What about all other ships that sank but had no footage to glamorize the issue?

Season 5 of "Deadliest Catch" is showing footage of Katmai sinking, with 11 members on board, of which 7 were killed in the tragic accident. This was a great tragedy. I'm interested in knowing what has been done to minimize fishing boat sinking?

[Sij]

Great post. I wonder why Discovery chose this sinking over thousands we have every year?..I have been following this story but because of the news-hungry media-hounds who are now thronging each of the survivors.They are such parasites.

[Ted Laver]

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too"

If...

Rudyard Kipling

this episode is what it is to be a man, a human, this is what should be on the news. thank you.

[Pullo Center]

The Crew is Coming to York, Pa and performing at the Penn State Pullo Center this Friday Oct, 2nd..get tickets at www.pullocenter.psu.edu or call 717-505-8900! It's gonna be a great show!