Bruce Forde Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

May 08, 2024

Bruce

Forde

73

42

68 inches

175 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On January 15, 1995, a 42-year-old man named Bruce Kenneth Forde was working as a crew member aboard the fishing vessel F/V Northwest Mariner in the treacherous Bering Sea, off the coast of Dillingham, Alaska. That day, the vessel tragically capsized, and Bruce, along with three other crew members, vanished into the frigid waters. Forde, a Caucasian male with brown hair and green eyes, was part of a seven-man crew navigating the notoriously dangerous conditions of the Alaskan winter fishing season. The incident marked the last time he was ever seen, beginning a long and sorrowful chapter for his family and friends, who were left with unanswered questions and the deep void of his absence. The F/V Northwest Mariner, a 126-foot crab boat, succumbed to the immense power of the sea, an event that is tragically not uncommon in one of the world's most hazardous maritime professions. While the vessel was lost, a glimmer of hope emerged when a nearby U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the Hamilton, managed to pull three survivors from the icy waters. However, this rescue was bittersweet as the search for the remaining four crewmen, including Bruce Forde, James Foster, Lawrence Johnston, and Robert Olson, yielded no success. Despite extensive search and rescue operations conducted by the Coast Guard, the vast and unforgiving expanse of the Bering Sea offered no trace of the missing men, and the search was eventually suspended, leaving their fate to the mystery of the deep. The disappearance of Bruce Forde and his fellow fishermen is a heartbreaking reminder of the profound risks associated with the Alaskan fishing industry. The families of the lost men were left to grapple with an immeasurable loss, a grief compounded by the lack of closure that comes with a body never being recovered. The capsizing of the F/V Northwest Mariner stands as one of the many somber stories of lives claimed by the turbulent waters of the Bering Sea. This case provides an overview of a maritime tragedy where a commercial fishing vessel was lost, resulting in the rescue of some crew members but also leading to the devastating disappearance of others, including Bruce Forde, whose lives were abruptly and permanently altered by the unforgiving forces of nature.

Jan 15, 1995

Bering Sea

Alaska

Dillingham Census Area

No

77531

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

950003911

1995-01-16

Alaska State Troopers

8848

Brown

Green

Green

07/16/2026