The U.S. Coast Guard has announced a formal investigation into the capsizing of a commercial crab boat that tragically killed three fishermen off the coast of Newport, Oregon, last Tuesday night.
Cmdr. Karen Denny, the executive officer of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Unit in Portland, Oregon, will head up the probe.
Denny has served with the U.S. Coast Guard for 18 years and has extensive experience in commercial fishing, vessel safety, and marine casualty investigations.
Once Denny and her team complete their investigation, they will publish a final report “with collected evidence, established facts and conclusions with possible safety recommendations to prevent future incidents.”
Mary B. II Overturned in Rough Seas Near Yaquina Bay Bar
The Mary B. II was returning to Newport on January 8th, when it overturned in 12-to-14-foot seas near the Yaquina Bay bar at roughly 10:00 p.m.
Although a Coast Guard vessel escorting the boat immediately launched a rescue mission, the attempt was unsuccessful because of the rough waters.
A Coast Guard helicopter did manage to pull one man from the surf at about 11:20 p.m. Sadly, his rescue came too late and he was pronounced dead at a Newport hospital.
The remains of the Skipper were recovered after the boat’s hull was discovered on a jetty the next morning. Members of the Newport Fire Department found the remains of the third crewmember washed up on a beach.
Dungeness Crab Fishery Among the Country’s Most Dangerous
The Yaquina Bay bar is a stretch of sea where currents from the Yaquina River and Pacific Ocean meet. The interaction of those currents can cause rough conditions, especially when storms approach, as was the case last Tuesday night.
The dangers of the Yaquina Bay bar were featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel series “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove.”
“Dungeon Cove” focuses on commercial crab boats operating in the Dungeness crab fishery of the Pacific Northwest, considered one of the most dangerous in the United States.
“It’s a 100-year-old fishery and unfortunately it’s not the first time lives have been lost,” Tim Novotny, the spokesman for the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, told the Asbury Park Press. “The village tries to pull together and help out the families, but the season goes on, and the guys don’t stop.”
Although no deaths occurred during last year’s Dungeness crab season, three fishermen died during the 2017 season, while five were killed in 2016.
Two Crewmembers Were New to Newport Crabbing Fleet
This year’s Dungeness crab season opened on January 4th.
Apparently, it was the first for the Skipper of the Mary B. II and a fellow crewmember. The close friends relocated to the Newport area from Ocean County, New Jersey last November.
Prior to their arrival, they had fished commercially out of Barnegat Light, New Jersey.
The third crewmember killed last Tuesday was a veteran fisherman from Toledo, Oregon, known to many in the Newport fleet.
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