In the autumn of 1994, 29-year-old Robert Howard Simonsen, a male resident of Sitka, Alaska, vanished into the vast expanse of the Gulf of Alaska. On October 26, 1994, Simonsen, the skipper of the 105-foot crabber vessel named the F/V Fierce Competitor, was en route from Warrenton, Oregon, to King Cove, Alaska, when the vessel and its entire crew disappeared. Traveling with Simonsen were his wife, Vicki Rowe-Simonsen, and three other crew members: Keithly Young, Gordon Young, and Larry Jones. The group was never seen or heard from again, leaving behind a profound and lingering mystery for their loved ones and maritime authorities. The last known communication or sign of their journey was an EPIRB signal, which led to a search in the unforgiving waters of the Gulf of Alaska.
The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the F/V Fierce Competitor and its five-person crew point to a sudden and catastrophic event at sea. A search effort was launched following the receipt of an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon signal. During the search, the vessel's life raft was discovered approximately 450 miles southeast of Kodiak, about 50 miles from where the EPIRB signal had originated. However, rescuers observed no signs of life, and severe weather conditions at the time made it impossible to retrieve the raft for further examination. The vessel itself, along with Skipper Robert Simonsen and the four other individuals aboard, was never located.
The disappearance of Robert Simonsen and the crew of the F/V Fierce Competitor remains an unresolved case, a somber testament to the perils of the sea. The lack of wreckage or any definitive evidence has left the families of the missing in a state of perpetual uncertainty. Robert Simonsen, his wife Vicki, Keithly Young, Gordon Young, and Larry Jones are all presumed to have been lost at sea in the tragic incident. The case serves as a harrowing reminder of the dangers faced by those who make their living on the unpredictable waters of the Alaskan coast. The official investigation, handled by the Alaska State Troopers, has been unable to provide a conclusive explanation for the vessel's disappearance, leaving the exact cause a matter of speculation.
Last Seen: Oct 26, 1994
