5 dead when fishing boat sinks off Alaska

[October 23, 2008]  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Two fisherman are missing after a fish-processing vessel sank in frigid, stormy seas off a remote Alaskan island chain, killing five.

U.S. Coast Guard rescuers pulled four crew members from a life raft about 15 hours after their ship, the Katmai, sent out a distress call early Wednesday morning.

The bodies of five members of the 11-man crew have been recovered.

The water was 43 degrees when rescuers hauled the survivors out of the raft, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read. The crew's survival suits, physical condition, and their efforts to keep one another semi-warm and awake all could have helped them endure, he said.

"They were in good spirits and in good shape," Read said. "They asked to stay, so they could continue to help with the search."

The four survivors were discovered in the raft near the Amchitka Pass, which links the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean about 1,400 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The bodies of three of the dead were transferred Thursday morning from a fishing boat to another vessel, which was scheduled to arrive at Adak Island in the afternoon.

It wasn't clear what happened to the 93-foot Katmai. The Coast Guard had received an e-mail from another boat, the Blue Ballard, saying the Katmai had lost steering and was taking on water, Read said.

The Coast Guard received an electronic signal at 1 a.m. from the Katmai. A search helicopter and C-130 airplane were sent from Kodiak, a journey of about 4 1/2 hours. The plane crew spotted two strobe lights in the water and dropped two life rafts. But the searchers had seen no sign of the Katmai or its crew, Read said.

One strobe was attached to an empty survival suit and the other was attached to a floating emergency beacon that can be triggered automatically by contact with water. Vessels are required to carry those devices to signal emergencies and aid searches.

The Coast Guard did not receive a mayday call, but given the boat's remote location, it may not have been heard.

"It's hard to say whether they tried or not," Read said.

At least one fishing vessel arrived to help the Coast Guard with the search, and another was expected. The fishing vessel found one of the two bodies, as well as debris, survival suits, fishing gear, a buoy and a life ring, Read said.

The Coast Guard reported 10- to 15-foot seas in the area, with winds from the north at 34 mph. The area had a mix of rain and snow.

The Katmai was carrying a load of cod and heading toward Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, Read said. Dutch Harbor is 800 miles southwest of Anchorage.

According to state permit records, the Katmai is owned by Seattle-based Katmai Fisheries. Calls to the company were not immediately returned.

[Associated Press; By STEVE QUINN]

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