Alaskan Fishing Vessel Capsizes in Icy Strait, Five Missing

 

A search is under way for the crew of a commercial fishing vessel that capsized in frigid waters and severe weather off the coast of Couverden Island, Alaska.

At about 0010 hours on Sunday morning, Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska received a VHF mayday call from the crew of the fishing vessel Wind Walker. The crew reported that they were capsizing off Couverden Point, about 60 nautical miles south of Haines. The crew dropped out of contact, and no further responses were heard over VHF. Shortly after, the Coast Guard received an alert from the Wind Walker's EPIRB at a position in Icy Strait.

The Coast Guard did not get a definite count on the number of crewmembers aboard, but people who knew the vessel reported that there should have been five fisherman working on Wind Walker at the time. The count has not been confirmed.

Sector Southeast Alaska issued an urgent broadcast and dispatched a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, along with a response boat from Station Juneau to search the area. 

The Alaska Marine Highway ferry Hubbard overheard the broadcast and diverted to assist, and she was the first on scene. In heavy snow and winds of up to 50 knots, the ferry and the Coast Guard responders began a search. Seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights were located in the water in the search area, but no crewmembers. 

Hubbard departed the search area midmorning and continued on her commercial voyage, according to AIS data provided by Pole Star. Coast Guard Cutter Healy arrived in the search area at about the same time, replacing Hubbard.