On February 11, 2017, the 29-year-old fishing vessel crew member, Kai Hamik, was aboard the F/V Destination when it tragically sank approximately 4.4 nautical miles northwest of St. George Island, Alaska. He, along with the five other crew members, disappeared into the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. The crew included Captain Jeff Hathaway, Larry O'Grady, Charles Glenn Jones, Raymond J. Vincler, and Darrik Seibold. The vessel was en route from Dutch Harbor to St.
Paul Island to deliver bait and begin the snow crab season when it capsized and sank without issuing a mayday call. An emergency position-indicating radio beacon alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to the sinking, but by the time rescue crews arrived, they only found a debris field and an oil sheen.
The sinking of the F/V Destination prompted extensive investigations by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. With no survivors to recount the vessel's final moments, investigators relied on witness testimony, weather data, and an examination of the wreckage, which was located in July 2017 on the seafloor near St. George Island. The investigation concluded that a combination of factors led to the tragic accident. These included the captain's decision to proceed in heavy freezing spray conditions, which led to a massive accumulation of ice, estimated to be as much as 340,000 pounds. This extra weight, combined with the load of 200 crab pots, severely compromised the vessel's stability. The Coast Guard's report also highlighted that the vessel was overloaded, the crew was likely fatigued from a grueling cod season, and an open hatch may have led to rapid flooding.
The loss of the F/V Destination and its crew was a devastating blow to the tight-knit fishing community and marked the deadliest crabbing accident in the Bering Sea in over a decade. The investigation's findings pointed to a preventable accident, underscoring the inherent dangers of commercial fishing in the harsh Alaskan waters. The tragedy served as a somber reminder of the risks fishermen face and prompted increased safety awareness within the fleet, with many vessels undergoing voluntary stability checks in the wake of the incident. The final reports from the NTSB and the Coast Guard pointed to a series of decisions and conditions that culminated in the vessel's capsizing, leaving no time for the crew to react or call for help. The case of Kai Hamik and his fellow crewmen remains a poignant example of the perils of the sea and the profound loss experienced by the families and community left behind.Last Seen: Feb 11, 2017
