On December 11, 2001, a promising young man named Benjamin Eder, aged 21, vanished into the tumultuous waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Newport, Oregon. He was a student at the University of Oregon, ambitiously pursuing a double major in biochemistry and international relations, with a history of academic dedication that included two years at Reed College.
Known to his friends and family as Ben, he was spending his winter break working as a fisherman, a trade deeply rooted in his family's history. The day was marked by the opening of the Dungeness crab season, a time of both anticipation and peril for the local fishing community. The sea, while not extraordinarily violent, presented the challenging conditions typical of a
December day on the Oregon coast.
Benjamin was aboard the 'Nesika,' a 40-foot crabbing vessel owned by his father, when the unthinkable happened. Just half a mile from shore, near a landmark known as Yaquina Head, the 'Nesika' capsized while setting crab pots. The sudden and violent event sent all four men on board into the frigid ocean. Along with Benjamin, the crew included the boat's 40-year-old captain, Robert Thompson, and fellow crewmen Jared Hamrick, 20, and Steven Langlot, 34. Benjamin's father was also at sea that day on another family-owned vessel, the 'Michele Ann', and was agonizingly close, participating in the desperate search for his son and the other crew members. The 'Nesika' itself was later found, having run aground on Beverly Beach, just north of Newport, a stark and silent testament to the tragedy that had unfolded.
In the immediate aftermath, the U.S. Coast Guard launched an intensive search and rescue operation, but the vast and unforgiving ocean offered no signs of the missing fishermen. The search was called off the following day, leaving the families and the close-knit community of Newport to grapple with the devastating loss. Of the four men who were on the 'Nesika', only the body of Steven Langlot was ever recovered. Benjamin Eder, Robert Thompson, and Jared Hamrick were never found and are presumed to have been lost at sea. This tragic incident serves as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers faced by those who make their living from the sea, and the profound and lasting impact such events have on their loved ones and the wider community. The case remains a painful memory for the Eder family, with Benjamin's mother, Michele Longo Eder, later publishing a memoir titled 'Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman's Wife,' offering a poignant account of their lives and the heartbreaking loss of her son.Last Seen: Dec 11, 2001
