Coast Guard suspends search for 5 missing fishermen

The Coast Guard suspended its search Wednesday evening for five missing fishermen in the waters near Sutwik Island, Alaska.

The Scandies Rose, a 130-foot crab boat, sank about 10 p.m. Tuesday after issuing a mayday call. The boat is based out of Dutch Harbor, but is registered to an owner in Bremerton and has Seattle ties.

The search spanned over 20 hours and 1,400 square miles.

The Coast Guard said two people were rescued early Wednesday from a life raft via helicopter hoist, but five crew members remained missing. The boat’s last known location was 170 miles southwest of Air Station Kodiak, on Kodiak Island.

The men who survived are 34 and 38. They were believed to be on the raft for at least four hours before the rescue. The men said they were the only ones who survived, the Coast Guard said.

“When you’re out there in the Bering Sea in the winter time, when you’re working just hauling gear, you’re not getting shot at, but you’re dodging bullets,” said a man at Fisherman’s Terminal in Magnolia who knows the crew. “Every one of those waves out there could have your name on it.”

The rafts were about 10 miles from the last known location, and another empty raft was nearby.

“The decision to suspend an active search and rescue case is never easy, and it’s only made after careful consideration of a myriad of factors,” Rear Adm. Matthew Bell, 17th District Commander, said Wednesday night in a statement. “Our deepest condolences to the friends and families impacted by this tragedy.”

Weather in the area was in excess of 40 mph winds, 15-to-20-foot seas and one-mile visibility.