On the morning of September 25, the fishing vessel Ambition capsized in the Pacific Ocean near the entrance of the Alesa River off Waldport, Oregon. The Ambition had sent out a distress call to the United States Coast Guard reporting the fishing vessel was disabled in the surf. Soon after the distress call, the Ambition could not be reached over radio. The Coast Guard launched a 47-foot long motor lifeboat from Yaquina Bay along with an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter and sent out a broadcast asking nearby vessels to assist. The nearby 30 meter long fishing vessel Predator (IMO: 7398406) agreed to assist in the rescue efforts.
First on the scene was the MH-65E Dolphin finding the Ambition rolling in the surf. Before any rescue could be made, the fishing vessel rolled over in the surf. The helicopter deployed a rescue swimmer who safely rescued the captain of the Ambition from the water. The captain, the sole person on the vessel, had mild hypothermia and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. No further details reported.
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.
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.
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.
On the afternoon of August 10, the 40 foot long fishing vessel Das Bug capsized approximately 2 miles off the Yaquina Bay Jetty near Newport, Oregon. The Das Bug was proceeding towards the direction of Yaquina Bay Jetty in 7 foot swells when it lost stability. The fishing vessel had suddenly rolled over in less than a minute. Three of the 4 crew on board were thrown into ocean, but were fortunate to be able to cling to the overturn hull.
The Coast Guard dispatched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from Yaquina Bay and rescued the 3 crew members. They were safely taken ashore where they were taken to hospital for treatment. Reports state the crew were being treated for hypothermia.
Photo: lincolnchronicle.org
The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation looking for the missing crew member. Deploying the 47-foot Motor Lifeboat along with a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter conducted a search for over 8 hours, but there were no signs of the missing crew member. The search was suspended.
Authorities have not release any further details on the environmental impact or salvage of the Das Bug.
