Crewman’s wife calls for help as Washington crab boat sinks, officials say. One missing
A crewman’s wife called for help when she learned there was an emergency on her husband’s crabbing boat in Washington, rescuers said.
Ethel May, a 46-foot crabbing vessel, began sinking around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5 near the entrance of the Willapa Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release.
The three people on the boat sent a distress beacon, which was received by watch standers with the Thirteenth Coast Guard District in Seattle, officials said. The crew member’s wife also called 911.
Rescuers found two people on a life raft and hoisted them to safety around 8:10 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said. The two were taken to a hospital.
But rescuers couldn’t find the third crew member.
The boat was found broken apart in the bay and in the Pacific Ocean, rescuers said.
Rescuers searched for the missing man for 15 hours, covering 290 square miles and 18 different search patterns before calling off the search, officials said.
“Suspending search efforts is a tough decision that we never take lightly,” Lt. Cmdr. Colin Fogarty, the search and rescue mission coordinator for Sector Columbia River, said in the release. “This search involved close coordination between state and local agencies.”
Willapa Bay is about 185 miles southwest of Seattle.
This story was originally published February 7, 2023 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Crewman’s wife calls for help as Washington crab boat sinks, officials say. One missing."
