Coast Guard District 17 headquarters said today that next of kin of the five persons missing in the sinking of the F/V Wind Walker early Sunday have been notified, and the agency released the names this afternoon: Travis Kapp, Jacob Hannah, Alex Ireland, Emilio Celaya-Talamanter and Michael Brown.
Their ages and hometowns were not available.
No signs of survivors from the Sitka-based fishing boat were found in the more than 24 hours of searching by the Coast Guard, good Samaritans and the Alaska state ferry Hubbard, which was first at the site 25 miles southwest of Juneau where the boat went down.
Three of the seven survival suits pulled from the water have markings on them indicating they belonged to the Wind Walker, the Coast Guard said. Also found in the search area were two strobe lights.
Involved in the search were Air Station Sitka helicopters, a Coast Guard Station response boat from Juneau, the Seattle-based icebreaker Healy back from patrol duties and currently in Juneau, the Juneau-based Cutter Douglas Denman, and civilian volunteers in their own boats.
The search started just after the Coast Guard received the mayday call at 12:07 a.m. Sunday, with the Hubbard arriving and starting a grid search around 1 a.m. The Coast Guard announced midday Monday it was suspending the search “pending the development of new information.”
Asked for a comment today, Coast Guard public affairs officer Travis Magee said, “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing individuals during this unimaginably difficult time.” He added, “We are deeply appreciative of the quick and dedicated response of the crew of motor vessel Hubbard who responded to our broadcast, arrived on scene first and assisted with search efforts.”
At least three families of the missing men have announced fundraisers on the GoFundMe website, to support a surviving family members.
• This story was orignally published by the Daily Sitka Sentinel.
