Guide Note

The 184-foot Seattle-based fishing vessel, Alaska Ranger, sank off Alaska's Aleutian Islands in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 23, 2008, killing four crew members.¹

Fast Facts

1. Captain: Eric Peter Jacobsen²
2. Commercial fishing is reportedly the most dangerous non-military job³
3. Ship was carrying 145,000 gallons of diesel fuel²
4. Lost control 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska²
5. Conditions reportedly included 8-foot waves and 25-knot winds²

The vessel reportedly lost rudder control and began to take on water at about 3:00 AM. There were 47 people on board the fishing boat, all of whom abandoned ship. Four crew members were killed during the sinking. In an April 5 hearing on the rescue, the Coast Guard reported that one member, Byron Carrillo, died when he fell from a rescue basket back into the sea. The crew of one rescue helicopter also miscounted the number of people rescued and called off the search for several hours while Alaska Ranger crewman Satashi Konno was still unaccounted-for, according to the Coast Guard.¹

After the sinking, reports came out that the ship was in an extreme state of disrepair. Several crew members said they called it the "Ranger Danger."⁴ A crewman also stated under oath that the assistant engineer often drank on the ship. The assistant engineer admitted drinking on the ship, but said he never drank while on duty.⁵