Missing Alaskan fishing boat crew identified
The U.S. Coast Guard has released the names of the five fishermen who went missing off the southeast coast of Alaska.
This comes two days after the search for their bodies and the boat was called off.
Early Sunday morning, a few miles off the coast of Juneau, Alaska, the crew of the F/V Wind Walker came on the radio.
Just twelve miles away, on a tugboat, Glenn Jahnke served as a helmsman on watch at night. He said he heard the fear and urgency in the crew’s voice.
“He said they were rolling on their side, taking on water, and there were two people in the water. Then the Coast Guard asked a question and then there was no answer,” said Jahnke.
That was the last time the five Sitka-based crew members were heard from.
Jahnke said the weather that night was treacherous with huge waves, 50-knot winds and white-out snow.
“I think they’re just blindsided, this is really what happened,” Jahnke said. “It’s a clear reminder that you have to be very careful, pay attention to the weather because it changes quickly.”
The search was called off after more than 24 hours, meaning five families have not yet found closure.
The Coast Guard has now identified the missing fisherman. They are Michael Brown, Travis Kapp, Jacob Hannah, Alex Ireland and Emilio Celaya-Talamanter.
GoFundMe pages show that many of the men were fathers, loving partners and irreplaceable in their families.
Hannah’s GoFundMe page says they are raising money specifically to find the missing men and the 50-foot boat. The page says they want to hire a company called Global Marine. The company’s website says it specializes in using high-tech equipment and cables to search deep water and bring things back to the surface.
Hannah’s page stated that the company’s services cost several thousand dollars per day. The stated fundraising goal is $50,000 to cover that burden.
The families of Alex Ireland and Emilio Celaya-Talamanter have also listed GoFundMe pages to help with living expenses for loved ones and the costs of the death ceremony.
Alex Ireland: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-alexs-family-after-tragic-accident
Emilio Celaya-Talamanter: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ejs-family-after-tragic-sea-loss
Jacob Hannah: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-loss-of-jake-hannah-from-wind-walker
