Gary Cobban, Jr. Missing Person Case

Jan 07, 2020

May 06, 2024

Gary

Cobban, Jr.

66

61

70 inches

180 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On the frigid evening of December 31, 2019, 61-year-old Gary Cobban, Jr., a seasoned male fishing captain, was at the helm of the F/V Scandies Rose. The 130-foot crab fishing vessel was navigating the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Alaska, having departed from Kodiak en route to the Bering Sea fishing grounds. Aboard with Captain Cobban were six other crew members. As the night wore on, the weather conditions deteriorated significantly, with winds whipping at 45 knots and seas swelling up to 20 feet, accompanied by heavy freezing spray. At approximately 10:00 PM, the U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call from the Scandies Rose. The vessel was located about 2.75 miles southeast of Sutwik Island when it capsized and quickly sank. A massive search and rescue operation was immediately launched, but the severe weather made the effort incredibly challenging. The extensive search, covering over 1,400 square miles, involved multiple Coast Guard assets, including Jayhawk helicopter crews, Hercules airplane crews, and the Cutter Mellon. Tragically, only two of the seven crew members were found alive. They were discovered in a life raft several hours after the sinking, suffering from hypothermia. The search for the remaining five men, including Captain Gary Cobban, Jr., his son David Lee Cobban, Arthur Ganacias, Brock Rainey, and Seth Rousseau-Gano, continued for over 20 hours before the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to suspend the operation. The five men were never found and are presumed to have perished at sea. The sister of Gary Cobban, Jr. later recounted being told by the survivors that the last time they saw her brother, he was in the wheelhouse as the vessel went down. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was launched to determine the cause of the sinking. The investigation ultimately concluded that the probable cause was the vessel's inaccurate stability instructions, which resulted in a low margin of stability to resist capsizing. This issue was dangerously compounded by the heavy and asymmetric accumulation of ice on the vessel, a result of localized wind and sea conditions that were far more extreme than what had been forecasted. The NTSB found that the Scandies Rose likely accumulated between 6 and 15 inches of ice on its exposed surfaces, which added significant weight, raised the vessel's center of gravity, and critically reduced its stability. The investigation cleared the captain and crew of any fault, noting that they had loaded the vessel according to the provided stability instructions. The tragic loss of the Scandies Rose and five of its crew, including the experienced Captain Gary Cobban, Jr., served as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers of commercial fishing in Alaskan waters and led to recommendations for improved safety measures, including more accurate stability instructions and better weather forecasting.

Dec 31, 2019

Kodiak

Alaska

Kodiak Island Borough

No

70658

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

7678

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/01/2026