JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday after the fishing vessel Wind Walker capsized early Sunday near Point Couverden, the southern tip of a small island in Southeast Alaska.
Coast Guard officials confirmed Tuesday the names of the five crew members of the ship who are missing after the boat capsized:
- Travis Kapp
- Jacob Hannah
- Alex Ireland
- Emilio Celaya-Talamanter
- Michael Brown
Family members of Alex Ireland said Alex preferred to use the last name Zamantakis. His father Mike Zamantakis said they are struggling with the news that the search was suspended.
“My hope is that last radio communication from the captain of the ship saying that the men were capsized but they were trying to get in the lifeboat,” Zamantakis said. “They haven’t found the lifeboat either, so that’s my glimmer, that’s my sliver of hope that Alex and his buds will be sitting under some logs or some leaves on a beach someplace trying to stay warm till they’re rescued.”
On Monday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard District 17 released a statement saying they are suspending the search. The search lasted nearly 24 hours and covered 108 square nautical miles.
The distress call came in Sunday morning at 12:10 a.m. that a 50-foot fishing boat was overturning. An emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) registered to the Wind Walker was activated, pinpointing the distress signal just south of Point Couverden in Icy Strait.
Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska issued an urgent marine information broadcast, deploying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka and a 45-foot Response Boat from Station Juneau to search the area. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry Hubbard also responded, arriving ahead of other search assets.
Petty Officer John Hightower spoke with Alaska’s News Source Sunday regarding ongoing efforts and said the Coast Guard Cutter Healy was their main search platform for the time being.
“They have the highest resiliency for the weather in that area. We’ve been cycling out crews from Coast Guard Station Juneau,” Hightower said over the phone. “With their smaller boats, the weather can be really rough on the boats out there.”
Search crews recovered seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights in the water, but have found no sign of the missing individuals.
Despite what Hightower called “online rumors,” no passengers have been found so far.
U.S. Coast Guard posted to X Sunday addressing the same false claims, saying, “We are aware of reports on social media claiming individuals from this incident have been located. At this time, the CG has not confirmed these claims and is continuing search efforts.”
Hightower stated the distress signal from the EPIRB provided their most recent location, and crews were basing their search efforts upon the information provided. However, passengers were still unaccounted for after crews located the physical beacon.
Heavy snow, winds of 45-60 mph, and six-foot seas created challenging conditions for the search efforts.
Hightower said late on Sunday search efforts were expected to continue throughout the night, but ultimately Search and Rescue command would make the decision to suspend the search.
“We’re exhausting all the all the available resources we have to try to find the crew members and anyone else who was on board and try to bring them home safely,” Hightower said.
After the search was suspended, Chief Warrant Officer James Koon, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska, released a statement that he stands in sorrow and solidarity with the friends and family of the people they were not able to find.
“I am deeply grateful for the swiftness of our crews and other search assets who came together to amplify our efforts and completely saturate our search areas. Our collective hearts are with the friends and families of the who are experiencing the effects from this loss,” Koon said.
Anyone with information about the missing individuals or the incident is urged to contact Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska at (907) 463-2980.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story. New details have been added since first publication.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to [email protected]
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
