No Sign Of Crab Boat Missing Since Sunday In Bering Sea

A third day of searching yesterday turned up no sign of a 98-foot ship Coast Guard officials believe capsized in the Bering Sea.

Two C-130 search aircraft, the 378-foot cutter Munro and a helicopter aboard the Munro searched west of the Pribilof island of St. George, about 750 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.

``I heard they haven't even found a oil slick,'' said Ken Holland, part owner of the Barbarossa, based out of Kodiak. ``This is a very hard time for all of us.''

Holland said two of the crew members may originally be from the Puget Sound area, but all of them have most recently been based in Alaska.

The Coast Guard identified the crew members as George Brandenburg, the skipper; Dennis Olberding, the relief captain, Don Bright, Darryl Gross, Brian McPherson and Tim Schmitt.

About 5,600 square miles was added to the search area Monday, for a total of about 12,500 square miles. The weather conditions were mild with good visibility.

The Barbarossa is the only crab boat working in the area that has not been heard from since distress calls Sunday.

Several crabbers in the area reported icing problems Sunday after encountering 15-foot seas and 40-knot winds.