In the early morning hours of February 11, 2017, the 110-foot fishing vessel Destination found itself navigating the frigid waters of the Bering Sea. Onboard was its 60-year-old captain, Jeffrey Hathaway, and his five crew members: Kai Hamik, Charles 'Glenn' Jones, Lawrence 'Larry' O'Grady, Darrik Seibold, and Raymond Vincler.
The crew had departed from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, their vessel laden with crab pots and bait, as they prepared for the snow crab season. As they maneuvered near St. George Island, the conditions were perilous, with gale-force winds and heavy freezing spray. It was in these treacherous conditions that the vessel and its entire crew vanished without a mayday call.
The first indication of trouble came at 6:15 a.m. when the vessel's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon automatically activated, alerting the U.S. Coast Guard. A search and rescue operation was immediately launched. Aircrews discovered a debris field and an oil sheen on the water's surface, along with the still-transmitting EPIRB and a single life ring from the Destination. Despite an extensive two-and-a-half-day search, none of the six men aboard were ever found. The wreckage of the Destination was later located in July of that year by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship, resting on the seafloor in approximately 250 feet of water.
Subsequent investigations by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board pieced together the likely final moments of the F/V Destination. The primary cause of the sinking was attributed to the immense weight of ice that had accumulated on the vessel due to the heavy freezing spray, which severely compromised its stability. The investigation concluded that the captain's decision to venture into such hazardous weather conditions was a critical factor. A Coast Guard report also highlighted that the vessel was overloaded when it left port, and an open hatch could have led to rapid flooding, giving the fatigued crew little to no time to react. The tragic loss of the Destination and its crew, including Captain Jeffrey Hathaway, served as a grim reminder of the inherent dangers of commercial fishing in the Bering Sea and was the deadliest incident in the fleet in over a decade.Last Seen: Feb 11, 2017
