REBECCA IRENE

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Rebecca Irene Safe After Storm, on its way back to Unalaska

After weathering a stormy night, the fishing vessel Rebecca Irene is on its way back to Unalaska. The 140-foot catcher-processor lost power in one engine on Tuesday morning, leaving it stranded in open ocean as the massive weather front hitting western Alaska moved in. As a precaution, the Coast Guard cutter Sherman evacuated 20 of the 34 crewmembers on Tuesday afternoon and stayed with the Rebecca Irene through the night. Petty Officer Sara Francis says the conditions near Unimak Pass weren’t as extreme as forecast. “The worst weather they saw was 30 mile per hour winds, 6 foot seas, and 17 foot swells.” Forecasters had been predicting 55 mile per hour winds and 35-foot seas for the area. A tug contracted by the Rebecca Irene’s parent company Iquique US arrived on scene early this morning (Nov 9) and hooked up a towline. more at http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/11/09/rebecca-irene-safe-after-storm/

Rebecca Irene partially evacuated following engine failure

The Coast Guard has evacuated most of the crew from the "Rebecca Irene" limping on one engine in the stormy Bering Sea on Nov 8, 2011. 20 of the 34 crew members from the catcher-processor were taken aboard the Coast Guard cutter "Sherman" after the fishing vessel lost power in its other engine and called for aassistance at 4.45 a.m. The ship with its cargo of 270.000 pounds frozen fish was continuing its slow progress during the night towards the next land, Unimak Island in the Aleutian chain in a distance of 115 miles, while the "Sherman" which had reached the ship at 1 p.m. was escorting it. Weather in the area included 40 mph winds and swells of 19 feet. The engine failure of the "Rebecca Irene", however, was not storm-related and occurred in calm seas. Magone Marine Services in Unalaska has dispatched the tug "Double Eagle", but weather was likely to keep it from reaching the vessel until Nov 9 at the earliest.