A 58-foot fishing vessel sank near Kodiak Wednesday morning, Jan. 15. Rescue parties found and transported all crewmembers to town for medical treatment.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s District 17 staff said in a press release that it received a distress signal from the F/V Tanusha just before 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. A nearby good Samaritan vessel, the Victory and a helicopter from Air Station Kodiak responded to the call.
The crew of the Victory reportedly found the Tanusha capsized and its two fishermen on a life raft about 23 miles southeast of Kodiak. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter arrived later to transport the crew to emergency medical services in Kodiak, with the help of the Alaska State Trooper vessel Stimson.
Coast Guard officials said the fishermen were in stable condition, but at least one of them was experiencing signs of hypothermia and a head injury.
Those two crewmembers were the only ones onboard the Tanusha at the time but it’s unknown if they were actively fishing or not.
Tanner crab season opened in the Kodiak District at noon yesterday, Jan. 15, just a couple hours after the fishing vessel’s distress signal was received.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Streyle, a Communications Unit Controller at Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska, said in a press release that the vessel’s EPIRB was key in rescuing the crew. “In this case, it was our only notification that the crew of Tanusha needed assistance. This highlights the importance of mariners maintaining safety gear aboard their vessels,” Streyle said.
According to the National Weather Service’s data, there were no gale warnings or small craft advisories in effect around the area Wednesday morning.
