Maritime News

Published on: April 7, 2026

Deadliest Catch Deckhand Todd Meadows’ Cause of Death Revealed

The official cause of death has been released for Todd Meadows, the deckhand who died February 25, 2026, after falling overboard from the F/V ALEUTIAN LADY during filming of Deadliest Catch Season 22. Todd Meadows cause of death was reported as drowning with probable hypothermia and submersion in cold water. The Alaska Department of Health has ruled the incident an accident.

The F/V ALEUTIAN LADY is one of the vessels featured on the long running reality series. Meadows had joined the crew in May 2025 and had not yet appeared on air at the time of his death. Captain Rick Shelford announced the loss on social media, calling it “the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea.” He remembered Meadows as someone whose enthusiasm and strong work ethic made him family almost immediately.

Meadows was from Montesano, Washington, and leaves behind three young sons. A GoFundMe established in his memory has raised more than $60,000.

Published on: April 7, 2026

Gloucester Crew Rescued After Fishing Boat Runs Aground

by Nigel Stacey

At 7:47 p.m. on April 4, 2026, first responders in Gloucester, Massachusetts were called when the F/V LEGACY ran aground on rocks about twenty yards from shore. Waves battered the hull and pushed the boat harder against the rocks, causing increasingly severe damage.

The two crew members were unable to free the vessel from the rocks. First responders called in the U.S. Coast Guard, which responded with a 47-foot rescue boat from USCG Gloucester Station but even that effort could not pull the F/V LEGACY free from the rocks. As conditions worsened, the decision was made to evacuate the crew.

A coordinated response by Gloucester Fire Engine 1, Ladder 1, and Rescue 1 worked alongside police and the harbormaster to rescue the fishermen. Firefighters had the crew don survival suits, tossed rescue lines to them, and helped them off the rocks onto dry land. Both fishermen were evaluated by officials at the scene, and no injuries were reported. The U.S. Coast Guard remained on the scene to monitor the vessel.

Published on: April 6, 2026

Five Crew Members Rescued from Grounded Vessel Near Umnak Island

by Nigel Stacey

On April 2, 2026, the 58-foot F/V OCEAN BAY ran aground on Umnak Island’s northern shore in the Aleutians. At 4:45 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District Command Center in Juneau received a report that the vessel was taking on water. Watchstanders immediately coordinated a multi-asset response, dispatching an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and diverted the Cutter WAESCHE to the scene.

A Good Samaritan vessel, F/T SEAFREEZE ALASKA, a 295-foot factory trawler, was first to arrive on the scene at approximately 5 a.m. The Hercules crew and WAESCHE reached the area about three hours later. By that time, the crew of the F/V OCEAN BAY had successfully stopped the flooding and dewatered the vessel.

The Jayhawk aircrew arrived at approximately 11:15 a.m. and hoisted all five crew members to safety, transporting them to Dutch Harbor for medical evaluation. Resolve Marine has been contracted to oversee salvage operations on the grounded vessel.

Published on: March 18, 2026

Two Killed in Confined Space Incident Aboard Barge Near Ketchikan

by Nigel Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report the deaths of two maritime workers following a fatal confined space incident aboard the freight barge WAYNEHOE, moored approximately 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, near Skowl Arm on Prince of Wales Island.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska in Juneau received a mayday call at 9:14 a.m. on Sunday reporting that the crew of the tug vessel CHUKCHI SEA had lost contact with four crewmembers inside a confined space aboard the barge. The tug and barge are owned by Hamilton Marine Construction, a Bellingham, Washington-based company.

The U.S. Coast Guard directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, with members of the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department aboard, to respond to the incident. While en route, the crew of the CHUKCHI SEA recovered one deceased crewmember and assisted two survivors out of the confined space.

Published on: March 17, 2026

Three Fishermen Rescued After Vessel Sinks Off Maine Coast

by Nigel Stacey

A prompt U.S. Coast Guard response saved three fishermen’s lives off the coast of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on Wednesday March 11^th, 2026, after the 40-foot F/V VESTA RENEE sank approximately 23 miles offshore.

The distress call came in at 7:03 a.m., when the crew radioed U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England on VHF Channel 16. The vessel was taking on water fast, and the mariners made the decision to abandon ship.

Within ten minutes of receiving the mayday, the U.S. Coast Guard had launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Boothbay Harbor, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod. Rescuers also asked the fishermen to activate their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), a critical step that helped pinpoint the crew’s location in open water.

Published on: March 10, 2026

In Memory of AST2 Tyler Jaggers: Honoring a Hero

by Nigel Stacey

The maritime community lost one of its finest on March 5^th, 2026. Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Tyler Jaggers, assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, passed away from critical injuries sustained while rescuing a distressed mariner from a commercial vessel offshore.

On February 27, 2026, Jaggers was part of an MH-60 Jayhawk crew responding to a medical emergency aboard the G/C MOMI ARROW, which was located approximately 120 miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington at the time of the incident.

In the hours that followed his injury, Jaggers was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital in British Columbia, then transferred to Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington, where he received medical care surrounded by those who loved him.

Published on: March 3, 2026

Remembering Todd Meadows, A Young Father Lost at Sea

by Nigel Stacey

Last week, the commercial fishing community experienced a significant loss with the passing of one of its members, affecting people well beyond the industry itself.

Todd Morgan Meadows, 25, a deckhand aboard the F/V ALEUTIAN LADY and a familiar face to fans of Deadliest Catch, passed away on February 25, 2026, in Alaskan waters. He was a son, a brother, a crewmate, and most importantly, a devoted father to three young boys.

Captain Rick Shelford announced the tragic news on Facebook.

Published on: February 24, 2026

When Weather Forecasting Fails Fishermen Suffer

by Nigel Stacey

Before any commercial fishing vessel leaves the dock in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, or California, captains perform an essential task; they check the weather forecast. Marine forecasts, buoy data, and storm advisories determine whether a crew goes out. That information comes from a federal infrastructure system most fishermen take for granted, until it breaks down.

Federal budget conflicts in Washington, D.C. have consequences that reach beyond the capital. For commercial fishermen, cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) create real safety hazards on the water.

Since early 2025, hundreds of NWS and NOAA employees have left due to layoffs and attrition. About 40% of the nation’s 122 weather forecast offices now carry significant staffing vacancies, and at least eight are unable to maintain 24-hour coverage. As Tom Fahy of the National Weather Service Employees Organization noted, “This has never happened before. We’ve always been an agency that has provided 24/7 service to the American public.” Five former NWS directors issued a joint warning to Congress: “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”

Published on: February 17, 2026

New Coast Guard Cutter for Alaska’s Demanding Waters

by Nigel Stacey

The USCGC FREDERICK MANN is the sixth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) assigned to the Arctic District and the third for Kodiak. These aren’t ceremonial vessels, they are crucial for conducting search and rescue operations when fishing vessels are in distress, patrol fisheries to protect one of the nation’s most valuable natural resources, and defend the maritime borders.

Alaska’s coastline is longer than the entire rest of the United States combined. However, for decades the U.S. Coast Guard has relied on aging patrol boats built in the 1980s to cover this area. The new generation of FRCs represents a significant upgrade. These new vessels are equipped with advanced surveillance and communications systems and capable of deploying smaller boats over the horizon to reach vessels in distress or under suspicion.

The USCGC FREDERICK MANN will be incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard during a significant period of modernization. After the commissioning of the USCGC STORIS (the service’s first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years) the Arctic District is also set to receive two additional Offshore Patrol Cutters soon. For a region where climate change is opening new shipping lanes and creating new security challenges, this is an important addition.

Published on: January 6, 2026

Nine Fishermen Rescued After Vessel Runs Aground in Bering Sea Storm

by Nigel Stacey

On Monday, January 5th, 2026, nine fishermen spent more than seven hours stranded on their vessel near St. George Island during hurricane force winds. The individuals were subsequently rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The F/V ARCTIC SEA ran aground near the remote island of St. George, located 750 miles southwest of Anchorage, in conditions that made rescue treacherous. Winds were up to 50 knots with 10-foot seas when the U.S. Coast Guard’s Juneau command center received the distress call at 4:11 a.m.

A nearby fishing vessel, the F/V NORTH SEA, reached the scene first but couldn’t attempt a rescue in the extreme weather. Instead, the crew provided real-time updates to U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders coordinating the response.