SCANDIES ROSE

scrapped

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Items of sunken vessel washed up

Nearly three years after the sinking of the 'Scandies Rose' in the waters off Sutwik Island – near Chignik on New Year’s Eve, 2019, drowning five crew members, buoys and other pieces of the ship have started washing ashore. A fisherman from Chignik found two buoys and a bait tow. He flew them back to sister of the ship’s captain, Gary Cobban Jr. and his son David Cobban, Gerry Cobban Knagin. She already had received some of her brother’s personal belongings from storage yards in Kodiak and Dutch Harbor over the years, but never something from the ship itself. Knagin planned to reunite washed-up items from the sunken vessel with the family members of the other men who went down with the ship.  Her brother was color blind, so the big buoys from the 'Scandies Rose' are lime green for him to pick them out on the sea. They have the letters “SR” written on them in black with the ship’s Fish and Game number, 35318. There are also smaller buoys with the Fish and Game number on them that may float to the surface.  Anyone who finds something and thinks it is from the ship can contact her via email, that’s gdknagin@gmail.com. Report with photo: https://alaskapublic.org/2022/12/22/nearly-3-years-after-deadly-sinking-debris-from-the-scandies-rose-finds-its-way-to-a-family-in-kodiak/

Report: Inaccurate vessel stability instructions that could have led to dangerous ice accumulation

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the 'Scandies Rose' sinking has found no fault with the captain or crew, but pointed to inaccurate vessel stability instructions that could have led to dangerous ice accumulation. Included in the NTSB report, which was released on June 30, were a series of findings voted on and accepted by the board. Among them was the finding that there were no issues with the conduct of captain or crew or problems with the vessel itself. The hearing looked closely at a series of welds made on the Scandies Rose, but the NTSB found they did not contribute to the sinking, either. The NTSB also found that the ice accumulation on the 'Scandies Rose' likely would have been between 6 and 15 inches on the wind-facing side. This would have raised the boat’s center of gravity and lowered its stability, contributing to the capsizing. The report says that while the crew followed stability instructions while loading the vessel, the instructions were inaccurate and left the Scandies Rose outside of regulatory stability requirements. The board also called for an oversight program to audit stability instructions for uninspected commercial fishing vessels that are not required to carry a load line certificate. For now, that’s just a recommendation to the Coast Guard. The report also stated the National Weather Service cannot accurately forecast the more extreme localized wind and sea conditions for the area, which can lead to vessels encountering conditions that are worse than expected and recommended that NOAA increase surface observation resources for the Sutwik Island and Chignik Bay region.

NTSB public board meeting on ship loss

The National Transportation Safety Board held a virtual public board meeting on June 29, 2021, to determine the probable cause for the sinking of the 'Scandies Rose' south of Sutwik Island, Alaska. The vessel had a crew of seven; two were rescued and five others missing after the accident were never found. During the meeting the NTSB's five-member board voted on the findings, probable cause and recommendations as well as any changes to the draft final report. In keeping with established federal and local social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while also ensuring the NTSB's compliance with the Government in the Sunshine Act, the board meeting for this eventwas webcasted to the public, with the board members and investigative staff meeting virtually. There will be no physical gathering to facilitate the board meeting.