Charter Boat With One Dead and Four Missing Discovered by Coast Guard, Half-Submerged

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended the search for the missing four people from a charter fishing boat that had gone missing off Sitka, Alaska. One person was found dead, and the boat was discovered undamaged but partly submerged. It is still unclear why the incident occurred.

On Sunday evening, the Coast Guard received a call from Kingfisher Charters, a fishing vessel local to the area, reporting that a subcontracted charter boat carrying a skipper and four passengers was overdue. The vessel was last seen being operational on Sunday afternoon near the southwestern tip of Kruzof Island, and no emergency signal or EPIRB alert was picked up.

The boat was found near Low Island, situated around ten miles west of Sitka, undamaged but partly submerged. The body of one individual was also discovered approximately 100 yards away from the wreckage. The search operation to locate the remaining four missing people was suspended on Monday night. The Coast Guard crews conducted a search spanning over 825 square miles over the course of 20 hours, with assistance from good samaritans.

Captain Darwin Jensen, Captain of the Port – Southeast Alaska, said, “Suspending a search is never an easy decision. We extend our deepest sympathy to the loved ones during this difficult time. Our sincere thanks to community partners and the good Samaritan vessels who rapidly responded to help in the search.” It is still unclear what led to the incident and the cause of the charter boat’s partial submersion.

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