Kenneth Kivlin Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Jul 23, 2024

Kenneth

Kivlin

79

54

72 inches

220 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On April 2, 2001, 54-year-old Kenneth Richard Kivlin, a fisherman from Dillingham, Alaska, was aboard the fishing trawler, the F/V Arctic Rose. The vessel was navigating the notoriously treacherous waters of the Bering Sea, approximately 200 miles northwest of St. Paul Island, when it vanished. The 92-foot trawler was home to a crew of fifteen men, including Kenneth, who were all engaged in their work far from shore. The conditions in the Bering Sea are often perilous, but for these experienced fishermen, it was a familiar environment. Tragically, this particular voyage would be their last, ending in a sudden and catastrophic event that left no survivors. The disappearance of Kenneth Kivlin and his fellow crewmen occurred without a single distress call. In the early morning hours, an emergency position-indicating radio beacon from the Arctic Rose was activated, alerting the U.S. Coast Guard to a problem. When rescuers arrived at the vessel's last known location, they discovered a grim scene: a small debris field, an oil slick, and a single empty life raft. The ship itself was gone, having sunk rapidly into the frigid depths. The speed at which the vessel went down suggested the crew had no time to react or deploy survival gear. An extensive search by the Coast Guard ensued, but tragically, no signs of Kenneth or any of the other fourteen crew members were ever found. The sinking of the Arctic Rose remains one of the most devastating commercial fishing disasters in recent American history. The only recovered trace of the crew was the body of the vessel's captain, found by a searching fishing boat. Investigations by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the exact cause of the sinking could not be definitively determined, though the vessel was known to have stability problems. The wreckage of the Arctic Rose was eventually located on the ocean floor, but the men who crewed her, including Kenneth Kivlin, were lost to the sea. The case represents a profound tragedy, a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in the Alaskan fishing industry. The absence of closure for the families of the fifteen men, whose bodies were never recovered, continues to be a source of deep sorrow.

Apr 02, 2001

Dillingham

Alaska

Dillingham Census Area

No

77771

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

010019662

2001-04-02

Alaska State Troopers

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/19/2026