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Category: Missing

Ghost Ship Karolee

Ghost Ship Karolee

Karolee
Photo: United States Coast Guard

On August 12, a fixed-wing aircraft flew over the 39 foot long, 22 gt fishing vessel Karolee (Coast Guard ID: 248180) and attempted to make contact. The aircraft got no response from the fishing vessel.  Flying over the vessel the Coast Guard found no signs of distress, but there was no activity on board the vessel.  The next day the 26 meter long Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion (MMSI: 366999610) was dispatched to intercept the Karolee. The cutter reached the fishing vessel in the morning and found no one on board.  The vessel had been rigged for fishing, the vessel lights were enabled and all the safety equipment was still in place.  The only problem was there were no one on the vessel.  The Sea Lion took the Karolee under tow and proceeded to Eureka, California where the fishing vessel was moored.

The Coast Guard launched a search between Cape Flattery up to La Push, Washington along the track the Karolee had travelled. After searching hundreds of miles from the water and the sea, the search was called off. The Coast Guard found no signs of the crew of the Karolee.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.  What is known so far is that the fishing vessel Karolee departed from Washington with a single person on board. The sole person on board sent out a text message on the morning of August 8. He stated the weather was foggy and nearly had a collision with a whale. No further communication was sent from the vessel.  The AIS system tracked the Karolee as it proceeded south at four knots along the Washington and Oregon coast. Several vessels had attempted to contact the Karolee, but got no response.

Karolee
Photo: United States Coast Guard

It is uncertain what exactly happened on board the Karolee. At some point between August 8 and August 12, the sole crew member on board went overboard. The fishing vessel continued on its course south unmanned. It is unlikely any other details of what exactly happened on the fishing vessel will be known.

Karolee
Photo: United States Coast Guard

The Karolee was built in 1945 and had been used for fishing salmon and albacore tuna. The vessel had been based in Port Townsend until 2018 and was reported to be based near Quilcene.

Seahorse

Seahorse

Seahorse
Photo: USCG

On June 10, the United States Coast Guard listed the 30 foot fishing vessel Seahorse as overdue. The Seahorse was last known to be fishing in Cape Cod Bay near the “Target” shipwreck (read more below) off Eastham, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard states the vessel and the 2 crew members onboard were to have been back in port on June 8 and that a ping from a cell phone of a crew member had located the vessel just 2 miles offshore of Chatham.  The Coast Guard has asked for anyone who has any information about the missing fishing vessel to contact the Southern New England Command Center.  The Seahorse has a painted mermaid on its bow and the name of the vessel painted on the stern.

SS James Longstreet:  The “Target” shipwreck

In the spring of 1945, the 441 foot long, 7000 dwt liberty ship SS James Longstreet was run aground on New Found Shoal off Eastham, Massachusetts. The vessel was only 3 years old being built in 1942 in Houston, Texas. During the war, the SS James Longstreet had completed three voyages which included reaching Australia, India and Sri Lanka along with trips to various ports to England.  The liberty ship was able to avoid submarines and enemy planes, but the vessel was less unlucky on its return trip to America.  In late 1943, the SS James Longstreet got caught in a severe nor’easter and was unable to keep itself from going aground off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Salvage efforts were able to pull the vessel free, but the liberty ship had sustained too much hull damage and declared a total loss.

SS James Longstreet
Photo: capecodtimes.com

Rather than scrap the liberty ship, the US Navy repaired the hull, but stripped the SS James Longstreet of all its machinery and gear. The vessel was then towed to various locations to be moored for “target practice”  The Navy moored the vessel off New York until a gale in November 1944 the SS James Longstreet broke her moorings and drifted away. The vessel evaded the US Navy until December 8 when it was recovered and towed to Norfolk.  There the vessel was there until February 1945 when it was towed to its final resting place in Cape Cod Bay. There the SS James Longstreet was grounded on the reef and allowed to settle where much of the hull remained above water.  For years the vessel was used for target practice until 1970 when it was left as a derelict. The hulk remained visible until late 1996 when a storm caused the remains to sink into deeper water.  Reports state that part of the vessel can still be visible on certain low tides. However, the site is off limits to divers due to the risk of unexploded ordnance in the area.

Canis Majoris

Canis Majoris

Hubbard

On the evening of February 20, the 43 foot long fishing vessel Canis Majoris went missing in the Nichols Passage near Thorne Bay, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. The Coast Guard was alerted by the fishing vessel’s EPIRB and launched a search and rescue operation. The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter from Sitka along with a fast response boat from Ketchikan and the 46 meter long cutter John McCormick to search the area. The 86 meter long, 6096 dwt ro-ro passenger ferry Hubbard (IMO:9812808) was headed for Juneau was nearby and joined in the search.  The Hubbard found a life raft and floating debris but no survivors. The Coast Guard continued the search for another 25 hours before calling it off.  Authorities stated there was likely only one person onboard at the time the vessel was lost.

John McCormick