This information posted below originally appeared in a joint NOAA/Coast Guard news release July 20, 2017. Visit the Coast Guard Digital Newsroom to read the full text. Maritime Commons will continue to bring our readers updates on major announcements regarding the F/V Destination marine board of investigation.

Two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ships, en route to scientific missions in Alaskan waters, helped locate the missing fishing vessel Destination at the request of the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation. The Destination and its six crew members were lost Feb. 11, 2017, while fishing for Opilio crab (snow crab) northwest of St. George, Alaska.

NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson, a fisheries survey vessel, conducted the first survey from April 30 through May 1. The Dyson used its multibeam echo sounder to search the area around the last known position of the Destination. While the ship was not able to positively identify any contacts, it did narrow the search area.

A second survey by NOAA Ship Fairweather, a hydrographic survey vessel, was conducted July 8 and 9. The Fairweather used its multibeam sonar, designed for seafloor mapping and object detection, to locate the Destination in approximately 250 feet of water.

With the wreckage and debris field located by NOAA ships, a Coast Guard dive team aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy will use a remotely operated vehicle to investigate the wreckage later this month. Imagery from the ROV will provide visual confirmation of the wreck site and become part of the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation, which holds its public hearing August 7-18 in Seattle.

Coast Guard and NOAA have a long history of collaboration, underscored by their shared mission to promote safety at sea. The unique capabilities of NOAA research and survey ships have been instrumental in assisting marine accident investigations, involving both vessels and aircraft.

Read our earlier Maritime Commons post on the F/V Destination:

2/28/2017: F/V Destination marine board of investigation convenes

From above, the profile of the vessel is clearly visible, including the bulbous bow to the right, the forward house and mast, equipment (likely crab pots) stacked amidships, the deck crane aft, and the skeg and rudder. (Credit: NOAA/USCG)

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.