(Photo by Gerry Cobban Knagin)
The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking help from the public in its investigation of a Dutch Harbor-based fishing vessel that was lost off the Alaska Peninsula along with five crew members.
The F/V Scandies Rose sank on New Year’s Eve about 170 miles west of Kodiak Island while en route to fish for Pacific cod. Two fishermen were rescued wearing gumby survival suits in a life raft. The other five crew members and their 130-foot crab boat were never found.
Coast Guard investigators would appreciate anyone with information about the vessel or conditions around the time the ship was lost to come forward, according to Petty Officer Janessa Warschkow.
“Whether that is former sailing experience on board the Scandies Rose, experience with the crew of the Scandies Rose, if you know the weather between Chiniak and Kodiak on December 31 of 2019,” she said. “Any information is helpful for the ongoing investigation.”
Warschkow said the intent of crowdsourcing information from the public is to gather facts to determine what happened, why it happened and identify any corrective measures which can be taken to prevent future tragedies.
“In this day and age, with social media being a very big platform to use for information, we do use social media and this type of thing to try and gather information from the public,” Warschkow said.
The Coast Guard has released very little information about its findings so far. And according to Warschkow, the investigation could take months or even more than a year to conclude. Eventually, she said, the agency will release its findings.
Anyone who has information on the sinking of the Scandies Rose last New Year’s Eve is asked to email ScandiesRoseMBI@uscg.mil.
Correction: A photo caption has been updated to reflect the correct date that the Scandies Rose sank. It was December 31.