David Cobban Missing Person Case

Jan 07, 2020

May 06, 2024

David

Cobban

36

30

74 inches

170 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On the last day of 2019, 30-year-old David Leigh Cobban was aboard the F/V Scandies Rose, a crab fishing vessel, when it tragically capsized and sank off the coast of Alaska. He was joined by his father and the ship's captain, Gary Cobban Jr., and five other crew members. The vessel departed from Kodiak, Alaska, heading into the Bering Sea to begin the winter crabbing season. As they navigated the notoriously treacherous waters, the Scandies Rose encountered severe weather, including high winds, rough seas, and freezing spray, which led to a dangerous accumulation of ice on the vessel. The conditions caused the ship to list heavily to one side before it ultimately went down approximately 2.75 miles southeast of Sutwik Island. A mayday call was sent from the Scandies Rose around 10 p.m. on December 31, 2019, sparking a large-scale search and rescue operation by the U.S. Coast Guard. The rescue efforts were hampered by the same severe weather conditions that the vessel had faced, with winds blowing at 40 miles per hour and seas reaching up to 20 feet. Despite the challenging circumstances, two crew members, Dean Gribble Jr. and John Lawler, were found alive in a life raft and rescued. The extensive search for the remaining five crew members, including David Cobban, covered over 1,400 square miles and lasted for more than 20 hours before the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to suspend the active search. The sinking of the Scandies Rose was a devastating loss for the close-knit fishing community. Investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board later determined that the probable cause of the capsizing was a combination of inaccurate stability instructions for the vessel and the heavy, asymmetrical ice accumulation that resulted from the extreme weather conditions. The five missing fishermen, David Cobban, his father Gary Cobban Jr., Arthur Ganacias, Brock Rainey, and Seth Rousseau-Gano, were never found and are presumed to have perished at sea. The tragedy serves as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers faced by those who make their living on the turbulent waters of the Bering Sea.

Dec 31, 2019

Kodiak

Alaska

Kodiak Island Borough

No

70656

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK20000206

2019-12-31

Alaska State Troopers

7669

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/25/2026