FV Alaska Ranger
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ranger, renamed Alaska Ranger |
| Owner: | Fishing Company of Alaska |
| Port of registry: | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Builder: | McDermott Shipbuilding Company, Morgan City, Louisiana[1] |
| Yard number: | 182 |
| Completed: | 1973 |
| Fate: | Sunk 23 March 2008 180 miles west of Dutch Harbor |
| Notes: | IMO number: 7303970 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 1,577 GT (ITC) |
| Length: | 189.4 feet (57.7 m) |
| Beam: | 40.0 feet (12.2 m) |
| Draft: | 28.0 feet (8.5 m) |
| Crew: | 47 (at time of sinking) |
| Notes: | [2] |
FV Alaska Ranger was a fishing Factory ship owned and operated by the Fishing Company of Alaska of Seattle, Washington. The ship was constructed in 1973 for use as an oil field service vessel. The ship sank 23 March 2008, after reporting progressive flooding only hours earlier.
Sinking and crew rescue
The unexpected and unexplained flooding of the ship meant that the crew had to abandon the vessel at night, into the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. Radio pleas for help were forwarded to a US Coast Guard vessel, which moved toward the area while dispatching helicopters. By the end of the effort, 42 of the 47-person crew had been located and brought safely to shore, most suffering severe hypothermia.
The rescue was carried out by a USCG HH-60 Jayhawk which was stationed on Saint Paul Island, AK and a HH-65 Dolphin which was attached to the USCGC Munro, which rescued 20 people, and 22 were rescued by Alaska Ranger’s sister ship FV Alaska Warrior.[3] The ship sank 180 miles west of Dutch Harbor.[4]
Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine awarded its 2009 Aviation Week Heroism Award to the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Team involved in this rescue operation, stating: "The two helicopter crews displayed exceptional risk mitigation and airmanship in fighting time, distance and weather – including snow squalls, a −24F wind chill, 15 ft seas and 30 kt winds – to rescue survivors. The USCG deems the operation the largest cold-water rescue in its history."[5]
The story of the sinking and subsequent rescue was published as Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History by Kalee Thompson[6].
A brief version of the Alaska Ranger story was told at the conclusion of the Deadliest Catch season 4 finale, as well as being featured on an episode of Mayday on the Discovery channel.
References
- ↑ McDermott Shipbuilding building record(Now Bollinger)
- ↑ "Port State Information eXchange (PSIX)". USCG. http://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXDetails.aspx?VesselID=47611. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ↑ Key sinking issue: why water spread. Seattle Times. 26 March 2008.
- ↑ Ship sinks at sea; 4 dead, 1 lost. Seattle Times. 24 March 2008.
- ↑ Aviation Week & Space Technology 12 January 2009, "Laureates 2009", p. 57
- ↑ Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History. William Morrow. 2010. ISBN 978-0061766299.
External links
- USCG video of rescue
- USCG audio of distress calls
- The Longest Night GQ Article
- Deadliest Sea book website
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