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Case Description

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Scott went missing and is presumed to have drowned when fishing vessel Northern Dawn sank near Volcano Bay, Unalaska Island.
Last Seen: Feb 23, 2006

Links to Additional Sources (1)

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Victim Details

Mar 17, 2020

May 13, 2024

Scott

Trible

53

35

70 inches

235 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On February 23, 2006, 35-year-old Scott Thomas Trible was working as a fisherman in the cold, unforgiving waters of the Bering Sea. He, along with his fellow crewman, 43-year-old Franklin Richard, was aboard the 50-foot crab fishing vessel, the Northern Dawn, out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. On that Thursday, their task was to collect empty pots from the Baridi tanner crab fishery. The men were navigating the waters near Volcano Bay, off the coast of Unalaska Island, an area roughly 800 miles southwest of Anchorage, when their vessel vanished. The first sign of trouble came in the pre-dawn hours when, at 5:31 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard received an automated distress signal from the Northern Dawn's electronic position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). These beacons are designed to activate when they come into contact with saltwater, indicating a vessel may be in peril. The signal placed the Northern Dawn approximately two miles off the Bering Sea side of Unalaska Island. The Coast Guard immediately issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and dispatched multiple search assets, including a C-130 aircraft, an HH-60 helicopter, and the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley. A nearby fishing vessel, the Pinnacle, heard the broadcast and joined the search effort. Despite the swift response, the search parties found only grim reminders of the Northern Dawn's fate. Rescuers discovered a life ring and the still-transmitting EPIRB in the water, along with a small, oily sheen on the surface. The vessel itself and its two crewmen, Scott Trible and Franklin Richard, were nowhere to be found. The search was eventually called off, and both men are presumed to have drowned when their vessel sank. The Alaska State Troopers opened a case regarding their disappearance, which remains unsolved. The disappearance of the Northern Dawn stands as a somber testament to the dangers faced by those who make their living on the sea, leaving behind unanswered questions about the final moments of Scott Trible and Franklin Richard.

Feb 23, 2006

Soldotna

Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough

No

77795

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

060015713

2006-02-23

Alaska State Troopers

na

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/06/2026


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