The search for Seattle-owned commercial crabbing vessel F/V Destination, with her six crewmembers, was called off in the Bering Sea on February 13, 2017 by the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel was reportedly en route to start the snow crab season when her emergency locator beacon activated at 0611 hours on Saturday, February 11, 2017. When the Coast Guard arrived to the area of distress, no trace of the vessel was found except for some floating debris including a life ring, buoys, and a slick of oil.
The search, which included the cutter Morgenthau, an HC-130 Hercules helicopter, and a search area of 5,073 miles, braved the icy, rough conditions of the Bering-Sea winter, but no more sign of the boat or the six crew members were found. The 98-foot vessel and all hands effectively disappeared about two nautical miles off the Pribilof Island of St. George.
At the time of this writing, the U.S. Coast Guard has sent its condolences to the families of the crew. Please give a reflective moment of your day to honor the F/V Destination, and if you can, leave flowers at the Seattle Fisherman’s Memorial at Fisherman’s Terminal.
Photo by: Jeff Pond
