Charter Boat Sinks
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- Category: News
- Created on Monday, 29 May 2023 21:35
- Hits: 12751
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
An intensive search was under way today in Sitka Sound for four people missing in the sinking of a day-fishing charter boat on Sunday.
The Coast Guard said the body of one passenger has been recovered. Four other people believed to be aboard the boat were still missing as of 11:30 a.m. this morning, authorities said.
The Coast Guard said five feet of the bow of the partially submerged 30-foot aluminum boat were located by a search helicopter Sunday 10 miles southwest of Sitka near Low Island, and the body was recovered from the water nearby.
The Coast Guard is investigating the accident and it is not known how the vessel came to be submerged, the Coast Guard said.
The search started Sunday after the boat was reported overdue returning to Sitka. The search includes Coast Guard helicopters and vessels, teams from the Sitka Fire Department and many privately owned boats, including tour boats from Allen Marine.
The fire department said the department’s search and rescue and dive teams were unable to deploy until first light today because of the lateness of the hour Sunday, six-foot seas and high winds in the search area.
The identity of the deceased individual and others on the boat, including the skipper, were not released.
The Coast Guard said that on Sunday afternoon the missing boat was reported overdue from a day fishing trip that started at 6 a.m. in Sitka. The vessel was last seen anchored at a regular fishing spot between 1 and 2 p.m. near Cape Edgecumbe, about 10 miles southwest of Sitka.
Coast Guard Air Station Sitka launched a helicopter around 7 p.m. Sunday and located the half submerged boat with the identifying AK number visible on the bow above water at 7:03 p.m. The wreck site was north of Low Island, off the southeast side of Kruzof Island.
The person who was picked up, whom the Coast Guard said later was a man in his 50s, was flown to Sitka, where EMS crews were standing by.
Authorities said the Sitka charter company called the Coast Guard after the boat was overdue and the skipper did not respond to calls. The Coast Guard said the boat was equipped with an emergency locating beacon but it had not been activated.
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AK COVID-19
At a Glance
(updated 9-12-2023)
By Sentinel Staff
The state Department of Health and Social Services has posted the following update on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alaska as of 8:57 a.m. Tuesday, September 12.
New cases as of Tuesday: 278
Total cases (cumulative) statewide – 301,513
Total (cumulative) deaths – 1,485
Case Rate per 100,000 – 38.14
To visit the Alaska DHSS Corona Response dashboard website click here.
COVID in Sitka
The Sitka community level is now "Low.'' Case statistics are as of Tuesday.
Case Rate/100,000 – 152.50
Cases in last 7 days – 13
Cumulative Sitka cases – 3,575
Deceased (cumulative) – 10
The local case data are from Alaska DHSS.
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20 YEARS AGO
September 2003
After the season-opening Ketchikan High School swim meet last week, Sitka High swimmer Matt Way is ranked first in the state in the100-meter breaststroke, while Carrington Gorman is ranked second in the 50-meter freestyle.
50 YEARS AGO
September 1973
From Around Town: Sitka Historical Society met Sunday at the Centennial Building with the people who had hosted the Historical Room during tour ship visits here. The ladies of the society served a nice Russian Tea from their samovar, and passed around Russian tea cakes.
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