A life raft from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger floats in the Bering Sea after the survivors were rescued by the Coast Guard. US Coast Guard photo
Capt. John P. Nadeau, chairman of the Marine Board of Investigation into the sinking of the Alaskan Ranger, will meet with the media to present a brief of the report of investigation and answer any questions concerning the investigation.
The Alaska Ranger was 130 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, when the rudder room’s high bilge water alarm sounded. The Coast Guard was notified and responded with the 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Munro, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft, and two helicopters: an HH-60 Jayhawk and an HH-65 Dolphin from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. The fish processing vessel Alaska Warrior heard the distress call and changed course to assist. Forty-two of the 47 crewmembers were rescued alive. Four crewmembers were recovered deceased, and one was never found.
The National Transportation Safety Board participated fully in the Coast Guard marine board of investigation that was convened immediately after the sinking. With assistance from the Coast Guard, the NTSB conducted its own investigation and released a separate accident report on Sept. 30, 2009. The NTSB report concluded that probable cause of the sinking of the Alaska Ranger was uncontrolled, progressive flooding due to a lack of internal watertight integrity. The NTSB attributed such flooding to a breach of the hull’s watertight envelope, likely caused by the physical loss of a rudder.
