Captain Missing After Fishing Vessel Sinks Off Grays Harbor
On Friday, a commercial fishing vessel capsized in off the coast of Washington, leaving the skipper missing.
At about 0815 hours on Friday morning, the fishing vessel Captain Raleigh was under way off the coast of Raleigh when it began taking on water. The master made a distress call and reported that the vessel's pumps could not keep up with the water ingress.
Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the call and issued a broadcast to nearby shipping to ask for assistance. The command center also dispatched rescue boat crews out of Grays Harbor and a helicopter SAR crew out of Astoria, Oregon.
Shortly after the distress call, a good Samaritan came to the aid of the Captain Raleigh, and at 0830, just 15 minutes after the call, a Coast Goard boat crew was on scene. Minutes later, Captain Raleigh sank rapidly. Three crewmembers from the stricken vessel were already in their lifejackets and abandoned ship into the water, and were immediately retrieved by the Coast Guard responders. However, the master of the Captain Raleigh was reportedly still on board when it went down.
Two boat crews and the helicopter aircrew carried out a surface search for the missing captain. A nearby dredger from the Corps of Engineers diverted to assist with sonar search of the bottom, and quickly found the position of the missing fishing vessel.
On request from the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy dispatched a helicopter with a salvage dive team from Air Station Whidbey Island. Surface conditions were unsuitable for diving until the evening; an attempt to access the wreck at 1800 hours was not successful, given debris, low visibility and strong underwater currents on the site.
At 2040 hours Friday, the Coast Guard called off the search for the missing captain.
"This is a tragedy for our fishing communities," said Capt. Justin Noggle, commander of Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. "I’m thankful our Coast Guard crews were able to save the three crewmembers quickly, and our hearts are with the family and friends of everyone impacted by this tremendous loss."
Commercial salvors have arrived on scene and are developing a salvage plan, the Coast Guard said. No significant pollution has been reported, and the site is relatively accessible: the boat is resting in 40 feet of water outside of the Grays Harbor navigation channel.
U.S. fishing industry media outlets have identified the Captain Raleigh's master as Jon Stevenson, 44, a longtime member of the fishing community based in Newport, Oregon. The local organization Newport Fishermen's Wives has started a charitable fundraiser for Stevenson's family.