Investigation Continues into Alaska Ranger Sinking
April 22nd, 2008The 203-foot Alaska Ranger, a catcher-processor, was on its way from Dutch Harbor to fish for mackerel in the Bering Sea when it first began taking water around 3 a.m. The cause hasn’t been found. A Marine Board of Investigation is holding a series of hearings into the circumstances surrounding the sinking about 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor. Five of the men on board including the captain lost their lives. Two Coast Guard helicopters and a fishing vessel managed to rescue 42 others despite nightmare conditions. The Coast Guard crews risked their own lives in high winds and roiling seas.