Coast Guard says Alaska charter boat likely capsized last year after flooding, killing 5
SITKA, Alaska — A fishing boat found partially submerged off a southeastern Alaska island last May likely capsized after its well deck was flooded in rough seas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which investigated the incident that killed five people. including two sisters and their partners on holiday.
More than 100 people attended the Coast Guard’s town hall-style presentation in Sitka last week about the study’s findings, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported.
Researchers said options for survival were limited when the 30-foot boat, Awakin, capsized on May 28, 2023; the ship did not have to have an emergency raft on board. The boat, which was found off Low Island, about 10 miles west of Sitka, had minimal facilities for draining water from the well deck, said the Coast Guard’s lead investigator, Cmdr. Nate Menefee, said.
“The Awakin’s first casualty event was a flash flooding of the Awakin well deck by a large swell,” Menefee said. “This was affected by the vessel being positioned close to Low Island in shallow water and at low tide, placing the vessel in a dangerous area, increasing the likelihood of large swells and breaking surf. The navigation of Awakin near Low Island is a significant factor in this incident. The flooding of the ship’s well deck and limited drain openings would have significantly affected the ship’s stability.”
Menefee said there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding the final minutes of the voyage, adding that the Coast Guard “cannot definitively say exactly what caused Awakin to capsize.” There were no witnesses and no emergency calls were received, the Coast Guard said.
At 2:43 PM on May 28, the boat’s tracking system recorded its last known location, just south of Low Island, near a known fishing spot. One of the passengers trapped in the cabin tried to make emergency calls on their mobile phone five times between 3.01pm and 3.12pm, but no connection was made. A text message from the phone’s draft messages folder read “Call 911” but was not sent.
The last photos taken from a phone were taken at 2:43 p.m. and show a passenger holding a rockfish.
The lodge the charter came from reported the boat was late around 5:30 PM. A Coast Guard helicopter launched at 6:55 p.m. and shortly after located the boat partially submerged. Although the Coast Guard strives to maintain a 30-minute readiness for helicopter launches, it took longer that day due to fuel supply issues.
Those who died were charter guide Morgan Robidou, 32; Brandi Tyau, 56, and her partner Robert Solis, 61, of Canoga Park, California; and Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and her husband, Maury Agcaolli, 57, of Waipahu, Hawaii. Autopsies determined that drowning was the cause of death of the four whose bodies were recovered.