“Deadliest Catch” is a reality/documentary series that airs on the Discovery Channel. The show follows the crews of several crab boats that brave the Alaskan waters in search of crab for their commercial operations during the open season. The show teaches us just how dangerous this lifestyle can be. Recently, one of the featured “Deadliest Catch” boats sank and it was a major event for the entire cast of crabbers along with producers of the show and viewers. If you missed out on the drama, here is everything you missed including which boat sank and the outcome of the horrific event.
The F/V Scandies Rose set out with her crew of 7 carrying crabbing pots in preparation for the upcoming season. They left Juneau, Alaska in early January 2020 in air temperatures of 10 degrees Fahrenheit with a water temperature that was about 43 degrees. The waters in the Bering Sea were rough that day with winds of over 40 mph and waves up to 20 feet in height. As the crew reached about 170 miles southwest of Kodiak Island, it became obvious that they were in trouble and the crew radioed the Coast Guard for help.
The Scandies Rose sank around 10 pm that evening and it took rescue crews 4 hours to reach them from the time the Mayday distress call was received. With poor visibility, the rescuers began the search for any survivors. They found a life raft and lowered a medic to investigate but it was empty. A Half mile further, the searchers discovered two crew members who had managed to get into their survival suits which offer some protection against the extreme cold and a measure of flotation. The two had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the remaining 5 crew members.
The search continued
Coast Guard teams searched the waters around the area of the sunken boat for 20 hours. It was believed that after this amount of time, survival was unlikely so the hunt was called off. The five missing crew members were identified as David Lee Cobban, Arthur Ganacias, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Brock Rainey, and the captain Gary Cobban Jr.
A shakeup for the cast of “Deadliest Catch”
Everyone who participates in the crabbing industry in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands areas understands the risks upfront. The environment can be harsh and unforgiving, and even under the best of circumstances, things can still go wrong. The boats go out more than a hundred miles from civilization and as we saw in the case of the Scandies Rose, it can take several hours for rescue teams to arrive at the last known coordinates of a boat in trouble.
When news of the sinking of the Scandies Rose was announced it created a huge ripple across the community of fishermen in the Deadliest Catch family. Social media was lit up with Prayers and well-wishes along with heartfelt concern for their comrades somewhere out there in harsh and deadly seas. Promises of prayer were posted for the crew and their loved ones by Captain Keith Colburn of the F/V Wizard, with the earnest request for others to join in the prayers for the missing crew. Hundreds on social media joined in supporting the survivors and anxious family members with their prayers and well-wishes.
A sobering fact of life
The sinking of the Scandies Rose occurred not long after the sinking of the F/V Destination in February of 2017. This tragedy claimed the life of every individual on board the boat. Keith Colburn of ‘Deadliest Catch’ was friends or at least acquainted with everyone on the vessel. Captain Jeff Hathaway, Darrik Seibold, Kai Hamic, Raymon J. Vincler, Larry O’Grady, and Charles Glenn Jones were all lost to the sea in the catastrophe.
The year after the sinking of the Destination saw the F/V Mary B II, also a boat featured on “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove” had flipped over, causing the death of three of its crew members. The crew of the Mary B II had sent a distress call to the Coast Guard, but the waves were so high that rescuers were prevented from getting close enough to help in time.
Two of seven survive
After being plucked out of the water, the two sole survivors of the tragedy of the Scandies Rose were taken to the hospital and treated for hypothermia. Both Dean Gribble Jr. and John Lawler were treated and released from the hospital. They shared their recounting of the fateful night that would claim the lives of 5 of their crewmates. The men shared that the night of the sinking, they were asleep then suddenly awakened when the ship began to sink. Gribble said that there was a span of about 10 minutes in between being sound asleep and then scrambling to prepare to be thrown into the sea. It was during this brief episode that both he and Lawlor had the presence of mind to put on their survival suits.
Final thoughts
Our hearts and prayers go out to the friends, colleagues, and families of the 5 crew members of the Scandies Rose who were lost at sea. This tragedy underscores the dangers involved in this industry. The location makes it even more deadly with temperatures that make it nearly impossible to survive over the 13-hour window given the temperature of the seas. This is an occupation that brings with it great rewards during a good run, but it’s not always that lucrative. Those who fish the Bering Sea has a respect for the dangers involved but they also have a passion and love for what they do. It’s a calculated risk that these brave men and women are willing to take. “Deadliest Catch” documents both the good and the bad and gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be out on the sea in sometimes frightening conditions.
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