F/V Su-Ce K; Sitka Sound

Sitka Sound | 1999-Jul-01

Initial Notification: On the afternoon of July 1, 1999, the USCG Juneau Communications Center and MSO Juneau received a call from the F/V Su-Ce K reporting themselves on fire with the pleasure craft (P/C) Destiny on-scene assisting. After putting the fire out, the crew attempted to restart the vessel. The fire re-flashed and engulfed the vessel. The two-man crew immediately abandoned ship onto the P/C Destiny. Later that day, the Su-Ce K sank in approximately 50 fathoms of water with no signs of pollution. Prior to the sinking, MSO Juneau had contacted NOAA with a request for the worst-case scenario trajectory and the fate and effects for a planned scuttling of the vessel at that location. The vessel was located at least 15 miles from any landfall and NOAA told the USCG that in strong winds greater than 15 to 20 knots an instantaneous release of 800 gallons would spread downwind 1/2- to 3/4-mile and dissipate in 3 to 5 hours. In a weak wind, less than 15 knots, the plume would extend 1/4- to 1/3-mile downwind and dissipate in 4 to 6 hours. During this conversation, word was received that the vessel had sunk in Sitka Sound after a fire in the engine room. USCG district 17. Keyword: none.