Crew members found their 47-year-old captain dead aboard the Admiralty Dream cruise ship on Monday, Alaska State Troopers reported.
Kenneth Adam was found dead at 5:46 a.m., according to a trooper dispatch.
Jamey Cagle, the vice president of Alaskan Dream Cruises’ Sitka-based parent company Allen Marine, said Adam was found in his stateroom and CPR was administered promptly. When he was unresponsive, troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard were contacted. Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said Alaska Wildlife Troopers assisted troopers, too.
The vessel was underway in the Chatham Strait headed for Pavlof Harbor for a day excursion, scheduled to arrive at 6:30 a.m. when Adam was found, Peters said. The vessel made a detour to Angoon because there were docks where float planes and boats could tie up while waiting for law enforcement to respond. The vessel anchored near the Angoon Ferry Terminal and Whaler’s Cove Lodge, 57 miles south of Juneau.
Foul play isn’t suspected, and Cagle said it is his understanding that investigators are classifying the death as “accidental” for now.
A second Allen Marine boat arrived from Juneau to take the 57 passengers originally aboard the 143-foot vessel to Hidden Falls to allow troopers time to investigate.
Cagle said the company immediately provided a grief counselor for the 20 crew members aboard the Admiralty Dream cruise ship after Adam’s death.
“He had a passion for his career and was a well-respected captain,” Cagle said of Adam, who was originally from California and worked for the Alaskan Dream Cruises for four seasons.
Officials have contacted Adam’s next of kin and his body will be transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for an autopsy.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
