Rest in peace, Sunnfjord

I posted photos of the fishing vessel Sunnfjord twice last summer. I happened upon her in the boatyard in Port Townsend as she was getting spruced up. I posted the above shot in August.

This is how she looked last June.

Our local Peninsula Daily News reported early this month that Sunnfjord sank on January 31st in the Pacific Ocean, off Cape Alava. She was reported taking on water. Her very lucky crew of five fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard.

The rescue effort sounded dramatic as three good Samaritan vessels, two Coast Guard cutters, two Coast Guard Motor Life Boat crews, and a Coast Guard MH-65 dolphin helicopter stood by while the Sunnfjord crew attempted to dewater using pumps provided by the Coast Guard. In the end Sunnfjord lost its main engine, water continued to rise, and the crew had to abandon ship. Sunnfjord sank in an estimated 300 feet of water.

Ships and boats sink for myriad of reasons. We don’t always get to know the story and welcome the mariners back to land.

7 thoughts on “Rest in peace, Sunnfjord”

  1. Oh no! I got a picture of the ship slowly decending to the depths of the ocean Kay! I wonder how many ships have met the same fate ! Thank goodness the crew were rescued. I have to admit I would never go on a cruise for exactly this reason, there’s just too much deep water!

  2. Yikes. Evidently the update in August wasn’t sufficient or as well done as one would hope. I have a hard time envisioning myself aboard a sinking ship. Which is one reason I’m so upset about the orange-headed monster in the White House, who is turning our country into a sinking ship!

  3. Frightening about the sinking but relief that the men were saved. I often think about how people wake up in the morning and it is just another day but before the day is over . . . . . . .

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