Boat on the sea
Published on:

Rscue-300x199The ALASKA JURIS, a fishing vessel owned by Fishing Company Of Alaska (FCA), started taking on water on July 26, 2016 while fishing off the Aleutian chain of islands. The captain sent out a mayday. The crew donned their survival suits, got into life rafts, and abandoned ship. No other vessel was in sight. After several hours floating in the open sea near Adak, good Samaritan vessels arrived at the scene to rescue the crew.

This is the same fishing company that owned and operated the ALASKA RANGER, a factory trawler that sank in March 2008. Five crew died in that sinking.

We understand FCA and its insurance company are now offering $20,000 to survivors of the ALASKA JURIS to settle any and all claims they may have as a result of the sinking ordeal. The offer comes with a written explanation. FCA and its insurance company compare the sinking of the RANGER to the sinking of the JURIS as justification as to why they are only offering $20,000 to settle.

Published on:

Northern Idaho authorities have confirmed that the bodies of the 3 persons missing following the Saturday night boat collision have been recovered.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement late Wednesday that a dive team pulled the bodies from Lake Coeur d’Alene shortly after the crash.

Officials identified the dead as 34-year-old Justin M. Luhr of Medical Lake, Spokane County, 21-year-old Justin T. Honken of Post Falls, Idaho, and 21-year-old Caitlin A. Breeze of Spokane.

Published on:

Coast Guard 17th District watchstanders received a call Monday morning from Health Force Partners to report the deteriorating medical condition of a crewmember aboard F/V UNIMAK. After consulting the duty flight surgeon, the Coast Guard directed the launch of a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to the scene.

The man had been experiencing abdominal pain, headaches, and a fever for several days. His worsening condition prompted an immediate medevac. He was hoisted and transported to emergency medical services in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Ayd, District 17 command duty officer commented, “the aircrew’s readiness allowed the man to receive advanced medical care as quickly as possible.”

Published on:

On the afternoon of Sunday, July 31, M/V BIG RED was traveling in Favorite Channel near Juneau, Alaska when it began taking on water. Watchstanders from coast Guard Sector Juneau received the distress call and issued an urgent marine information broadcast calling for assistance from nearby vessels. All persons aboard the 35-foot whale-watching vessel were rescued by Coast Guard and multiple Good Samaritan vessels.

The 16 passengers and 2 crewmembers were transferred onto M/V ST. HERMAN with the help of recreational vessel See You, and transported to Allen Marine Dock to await Coast Guard and medical personnel. One knee injury was reported.

Lt. Jennifer Ferreira, sector Juneau command duty officer, commended the BIG RED crew for their swift, decisive action to ensure that all passengers were handed life vests when the vessel began taking on water.

Published on:

The Unified Command, made up of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and the Fishing Company of Alaska (FCA), have called off the search for the sunken vessel. The JURIS is presumed to have sank in approximately 5,400 feet of water in the Bering Sea.

“We have searched and have not been able to locate the fishing vessel ALASKA JURIS,” said federal on-scene coordinator Lt. Todd Bagetis. The Unified Command as well as various state and federal agencies have ensured that this extensive search prioritized the safety of response personnel, the public, and integrity of the environment.

For three days, searches for the vessel were conducted by air and sea with the help of F/V ALASKA ENDEAVOR, salvage tug RESOLVE PIONEER, and Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules. Diesel sheen believed to be from the ALASKA JURIS was found in the search area, though the source is unconfirmed.

Published on:

John McMillen, who grew up in Chimacum, Washington, was honored on the M/V KENNEWICK as the ferry traveled between Port Townsend and Coupeville.

McMillen was given the Life Ring award for his role in saving a man’s life earlier this month. On July 17th, McMillen used an automated external defibrillator on a 60-year old man who suffered a heart attack aboard a Bainbridge-bound ferry.

The crew acted quickly to help the man, and the captain rerouted the ferry back towards Seattle. This effort allowed the man to receive medical attention an hour sooner than he would have if the ferry continued to Bainbridge.

Published on:

On the morning of Wednesday, July 27th, crewmembers aboard OCEAN PEACE and SEAFISHER were focused on the harvest of Atka mackerel. Some 55 miles away, another trawler vessel, the ALASKA JURIS, was taking on water.

Upon receiving this distress call, the two vessels halted fishing and processing to begin the 6-hour journey to rescue the JURIS crew. All 46 crewmembers once aboard the JURIS were safely transported to the Aleutian Island port of Adak by Thursday evening.

“They said we got to go, and we’re on it,” said Todd Loomis, an official with Ocean Peace Inc., which operates the two factory trawlers.

Published on:

At around 11:30am on Tuesday, July 26, Coast Guard 17th District watchstanders received an electronic position alert from fishing vessel ALASKA JURIS. The vessel had been traveling in the Bering Sea near Alaska’s Aleutian Island chain, 150 miles northwest of Adak when it began taking on water. Coast Guard contacted the crew directly, confirming that the 220-foot vessel was in distress, and all 46 crewmembers had begun donning survival suits and boarding the three life rafts.

The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast to surrounding vessels, and sent a Kodiak HC-130 Hercules airplane and two Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters to the scene. Vessels Spar Canis, Vienna Express, Seafisher, and Ocean Pease diverted to assist. Seas were calm at the time of rescue, though heavy fog presented poor visibility. ALASKA JURIS crewmembers boarded Good Samaritan vessels around 5:00pm, and began the 13-hour voyage to Adak, AK.

Lt. Joseph Schlosser of the U.S. Coast Guard reported to the Alaska Dispatch News that preliminary information suggests the sinking could be tied to mechanical problems in the ship’s engine room. Definitive cause remains under investigation. There are no reports of injuries.

Published on:

A father and son, identified as 75-year-old Larry Roger McWilliams and 48-year-old Gary Roger McWilliams, died Monday, May 30th, after their fishing boat overturned in Glacier Bay National Park. The cause of the vessel capsize remains a mystery, as the weather was clear and calm at the time of the incident.

Four addition passengers aboard the privately-owned, 21-foot aluminum vessel made it to safety. Tom VandenBerg, who was aboard the vessel at the time of capsize, reported that a fellow passenger swam to a nearby island and flagged down a passing boat. He credited this effort as the sole reason that the four survived.

The fishing boat overturned about 10 miles from park headquarters, and officials swiftly dispatched large and small search vessels to the site after receiving word of the incident. Two passengers were found by charter boat operator, Jim Kerns, while others remained in the water. The crew of a tour vessel, the Wilderness Discoverer, pulled the father and son from the water to perform CPR, but were unable to revive the two.

Published on:

On Friday, June 24th, the group of friends were slowly cruising in their pontoon boat along the Rock River in Oregon. Statements from Phil Lukes, a passenger on the pontoon boat, and Al Overton, owner of River Road Marina, revealed that a fishing vessel appeared out of nowhere, and loudly commanded the attention of everyone near the river.

 The vessel struck the pontoon boat, tragically killing 31-year-old Megan Wells, who leaves behind 3 children. Nicholas Lamb, a 29-year-old passenger also aboard the boat, was transported to Rockford Memorial Hospital to be treated for his injuries.

 Both Overton and Lukes insisted that this heartbreaking incident be a message for all boaters to act with increased caution, and a call to improve safety measures.

Contact Information