Articles Posted in Vessel Sinkings

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The crews of 30-foot F/V MISS JANA and 50-foot F/V EQUINOX, both hailing out of Cordova, AK, and owned by Leslie P. Allen of Valdez, came to the rescue of three people whose 36-foot Belltech 5 was sinking near Valdez Wednesday night.

The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast as soon as the Belltech 5 crew alerted them via VHF 16 what was happening. Fortunately, MISS JANA and EQUINOX were close enough to make the difference.

The Belltech 5 had already sunk with her crew already in the water when MISS JANA arrived to pull them out. The three rescued men were then transferred to EQUINOX, which in turn transferred them to the Coast Guard for further transport for medical care. Conditions at that time included snow, 7mph winds, and 3-foot seas.

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On Saturday, September 29, the Coast Guard suspended its search for 32-year old Kelly Dickerson, the MAVERICK crewman who went missing after 90-foot VIKING STORM and 40-foot MAVERICK collided about 30 miles off La Push, Washington, the day before.

MAVERICK sunk, while VIKING STORM suffered a dented bow and some scrapes in the collision. None of the VIKING STORM crew were injured, and that crew managed to pull three of the four MAVERICK crewmen from the water. Those three men were reported to be in stable condition after their rescue and taken to Quileute Harbor Marina in La Push.

VIKING STORM is Vancouver BC-based and owned by Leader Fishing, LTD. MAVERICK is based out of Seattle and owned and captained by Darby Dickerson of Port Angeles. Mr. Dickerson was one of the rescued men and is also the father of Kelly Dickerson.

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Early Saturday morning an EPIRB signal set off a search for the Warrenton-based fishing vessel LADY CECILIA and its four member crew. Coast Guard helicopters located a debris field, oil slick, and life raft just north of the Columbia River, 17 miles west of the Washington Coast. An extensive search failed to locate any of the vessel’s four crewmen, and they are presumed lost at sea. The lost crew was identified by the Coast Guard as David Nichols and Jason Bjaranson of Warrenton, Oregon; Luke Jensen of Ilwaco, Washington, and fisheries observer Chris Langel of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

The LADY CECELIA is a 62-foot dragger owned by Dave Kent of Bay City, Oregon. Few details are known about the vessel at this time other than it was first registered in Oregon in 1991. Under Federal Regulations, vessels such as the Lady Cecelia are required to carry regularly serviced life rafts and survival suits, and crews are required to regularly be trained in safety procedures. Unfortunately, safety inspections of vessels such as the Lady Cecilia are not mandated by regulation.

Complicated Federal Maritime laws govern remedies available to families of crewmen lost in fishing accidents. Frequently, vessel owners utilize an archaic law called the Limitation of Liability Act to attempt to limit compensation available to the families of lost crew.

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The fishing vessel CHEVELLE collided with the jetty near Newport, Oregon on Friday and is reportedly breaking up in heavy weather. One witness described crab pots shifting on the vessel after it took a hard roll while crossing the bar. The 70-foot crab vessel is owned by Chad Hall of Newport. Fortunately, the four crewmen aboard the vessel all survived the incident. Three crewmen were airlifted to safety by the Coast Guard, and the fourth crewman was able to climb onto the jetty and make his way to shore. Salvage operations cannot get under way until the weather subsides. There is some concern that the vessel may break apart and sink, obstructing passage to the harbor. The incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard.

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In March of 2011, in Tuyen Thanh Mai v. American Seafoods Company, LLC, the Washington State Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that American Seafoods Company (ASC) did not have the right to deny seaman Tuyen Thanh Mai maintenance and cure when she did not agree to ASC’s demand for an independent medical examination (IME) prior to her knee replacement surgery. The Court also held that Mai is entitled not only to the maintenance and cure that ASC had withheld from her, but also to compensatory damages and attorney fees, sending a strong message to employers that maintenance and cure are fundamental rights not to be denied a seaman.
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Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received an alert from an emergency beacon registered to the PENNY V Friday, July 8, after the 68-foot fishing vessel began to take on water west of Sanibel Island, FL. The Coast Guard diverted the crew of the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter RESOLUTE to the scene to assist the distressed crew.
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The 36-foot fishing vessel ICE MAIDEN capsized Sunday, July 3 in the Prince William Sound off Rocky Point, Alaska. Reports say the vessel capsized while hauling in a net full of salmon. Good Samaritan fishing vessels NEW VENTURE and AQUANATOR were fishing in the area and provided assistance and transported the crew to nearby Cordova. ICE MAIDEN then sank and came to rest on the seafloor in 35 to 45 feet of water, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jason Boyle.
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The Coast Guard medically evacuated fishermen Alvin Floyd and John Hodges from a 23-foot commercial fishing vessel on the south end of St. Catherines Island on Wednesday, June 22, following an explosion onboard. Operational watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Charleston received reports of the explosion and deployed two rescue helicopter crews. A good Samaritan rescued the fishermen from the water and waited until the rescue crews arrived. The Coast Guard crews safely transported the fishermen to Savannah Memorial Hospital.

The cause of the explosion is unknown. The commercial fishing vessel reportedly sunk approximately 1,000 feet off shore.

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Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville received word of a sinking 26-foot boat about one mile southeast of Cape Canaveral, Thursday morning around 9:45 a.m. The captain noticed the boat listing and sinking; once in the water he was able to make a mayday call using a cell phone in a waterproof case. The Coast Guard deployed a 25-foot rescue boat crew and arrived on the scene shortly after.
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June 6, 2011 – The 44-foot fishing vessel ABBY LOUISE sank Saturday in Orca Inlet about seven miles southwest of Cordova. The cause of the sinking is unknown, and the Coast Guard is working to contain environmental damage. As of this time, there were no reported injuries in the accident. Good samaritan vessels in the area assisted in the rescue of three of the vessel crew. The sinking is under investigation by the Coast Guard.

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