Sinking of Arctic Rose still baffling

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With no witnesses, emergency radio broadcasts and likely no survivors, the fate of the Arctic Rose may never be fully known.

Arctic Rose crew A list of the 15-man crew of the fishing vessel Arctic Rose, missing in the Bering Sea. Not all hometowns and ages were available. The list is based on one provided by the Groundfish Forum, a Seattle-based industry group. :: Shawn Bouchard, 25, Harlowtown, Mont. :: Aaron Broderick, Washington; foreman :: Jimmy Conrad, Washington; assistant foreman :: Kerry Egan, 45, Britt, Minn.; mate :: Robert Foreman, Washington; processor :: Edward Haynes, Washington; deck hand :: G.W. Kandris, Washington; assistant engineer :: Kenneth Kivlin, 55, Port Orchard; cook :: Jeff Meincke, 20, Lacey, Thurston County; deck hand :: Angel Mendez, Texas; deck boss :: James Mills, 24, Judith Gap, Mont.; processor :: Michael Neureiter, California; processor :: Mike Olney, 46, Kendall, Whatcom County; engineer :: David Rundall, 34, Hilo, Hawaii; skipper :: David Whitton, Washington; processor

The trawler, with 15 aboard, sank sometime before dawn in 400 feet of icy water Monday in the Bering Sea, making it one of the worst commercial-fishing disasters in Alaska in decades.

The best hope of understanding what happened may rest with its Seattle owner, Arctic Sole Seafoods, former crewmen and others who knew the 92-foot vessel.

A marine board of investigation may begin hearings as early as next week either in Alaska or Seattle, depending on the logistics of convening witnesses and other parties, including families who may want to attend.

The marine board "can talk to the owners, the shipwrights, mechanics," said Lt. Cdr. Ray Massey of the 17th Coast Guard District public-affairs office in Anchorage. "Those kinds of clues can lead them to general conclusions about what happened."

The board may also consider survey reports, inspection and incident reports and weather data.

Among the missing crewmen was Mike Olney, the vessel's engineer and brother of company owner David Olney, who could not be reached yesterday for comment.

The third day of the search was another battle against the elements. Two Coast Guard vessels, a cutter and an icebreaker, encountered 12-foot seas and a frigid spray that froze on contact with metal. By midafternoon yesterday, helicopters stationed aboard the vessels had yet to find a break in the weather to take off on search flights.

Coast Guard officials, who estimate that a crewman with a survival suit might last as long as 36 hours, said the search would continue at least until nightfall.

The Alaskan Rose, a sister ship to the Arctic Rose, joined in the search until Tuesday, when heavy seas and gale-force winds prompted it to leave the search some 210 miles west of the Pribilof Islands. Yesterday, the Alaskan Rose tried to enter the harbor at St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs. But the seas were too rough, so the vessel pressed southeast to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians.

What is known about the Arctic Rose sinking is that an automatic emergency position indicator sent a distress signal at 3:35 a.m. Monday. The emergency radio beacons send signals that are then picked up by a satellite and alert rescue offices.

In this case, the Coast Guard dispatched a C-130 aircraft, which located the beacon at 8:40 a.m. The Alaskan Rose recovered the body of the vessel's captain, David Rundall, at 10:15 a.m.

The Alaskan Rose crew tried in vain to revive Rundall, who was wearing a survival suit. But it wasn't fully zipped and was flooded with water, the Coast Guard said.

A second body, not in a survival suit, was sighted at 10:30 a.m., but was not recovered. An empty life raft also was found.

A task force convened by the Coast Guard published a report in 1999 titled, "Dying to Fish, Living to Fish," which concluded that fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations, having far higher fatality rates than firefighters, police officers and truck drivers.

The report concluded that despite new measures called for in the 1988 Vessel Safety Act, "the bottom line is that casualty rates remain very high."

The analysis of casualties shows most were "eminently preventable through improved operational procedures, crew training and experience, and maintaining a seaworthy vessel."

The task force was created after 20 fishing vessels sank in barely a month between December 1998 and January 1999 on the East and West coasts and off Alaska. The report found the most common causes were unstable vessels, lack of preparation using lifesaving equipment and poor maintenance of the vessel and equipment.

It's not known whether any of these were factors in the sinking of the Arctic Rose. Rundall's parents said their son, the captain of the 12-year-old vessel, was renowned for his adherence to safety guidelines. The last time they saw him was when they took him to a Seattle marine-supplies store in January to pick up an emergency transponder.

Peyton Whitely can be reached at 206-464-3198 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.

Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton contributed to this report.