Sig Hansen Distraught As His Friend Captain Jeff Is Announced Lost At Sea | Deadliest Catch

Across the Bering Sea, the United States Coast Guard broadcast an Urgent Message to the fleet.

February 11th, 2017, the Coast Guard has received an EB distress signal from the fishing vessel Destination, approximately 1 mile west of St. George. All vessels are requested to keep a sharp lookout, assist if possible, and report all sightings to the Coast Guard.

Great, so we got about 4 and 1/2 hours of fuel on board. Uh, it’ll take us just a shy of 2 hours to get there.

An MH-6 Jayhawk helicopter is dispatched to the location of the emergency signal’s last known coordinates.

It’s a pot boat, wide over blue. They’re estimating about six people on board, but, uh, if all goes well they won’t need help. But I guess if they do need assistance, we’ll go ahead and just plan on hoisting them. Best scenario, they all be together.

Yeah, the last AIS is currently 310 for 2 miles. It was drifting just off St. George Island.

C 6037, just want you to be advised we are commencing our search pattern at this time.

The Coast Guard helicopter searches for the location of a signal from an emergency beacon assigned to the fishing vessel Destination.

Best scenario, it just fell off and they’re still north. Just don’t know.

Come down a little bit, see. Is that a tarp?

Yeah, right out your windows. There’s some more stuff right here, some sort of crab pot line or something. There’s a lot of clutter in this area, man. It’s all kinds of stuff.

I’m starting to see, finding some, some FL, some, uh, buoys, pieces of, uh, crab pot gear.

I see something orange at our 9:00 right now.

Life ring.

Roger, the life ring is an important find. If it belongs to the Destination, it’ll confirm the identity of the boat.

Silver Spray, fish vessel Silver Spray, this is Coast 637.

The Coast Guard reaches out to a nearby Good Samaritan crabber, fishing vessel Silver Spray, to retrieve the life ring.

Roger 637. You see up there the life ring currently at your starboard? Put a better eye on it.

Yeah, Roger. Grab… Oh man. Identification, you looking for, confirm that.

Destination, did you guys hear that?

Yes sir, the life ring had the name on it. That’s good.

The debris field indicates the boat suffered a catastrophic event, so we’re just trying our best we can to locate survivors.

Intensifying the search for the missing crew. Best case scenario, there’s six dudes sitting in a life raft. They’re all in good spirits and healthy and a little cold. We’re going to continue searching. Got to give this 100, 110%, just like we would if it was our own family.

We’re going to find them.

135 mil Northwest on the Northwestern KC.

What’s up? You hear this?

No, I heard something, uh, somebody talking on A, and then, uh, I couldn’t pick it up.

Are you talking about Jeff? Destination? My buddy?

What? Yeah, Roger. They were heading up here, gear on. Last known position was right on the northwest tip of St. George. Um, they got an E signal at 600 our time and, uh, they found the life ring, they found a fuel slick, they found debris indicative of a crab boat going down. Uh, no life, no survival suits, no nothing.

Yes, it’s that Destination.

They find somebody? Somebody alive? Did they get off a Mayday?

Um, it doesn’t sound like it. I know you and Jeff are tight, so I want to let you know.

Okay, Casey. No, thanks for doing that. Thanks for letting me know. Thank you. I’m sorry, sir.