Haunted by Scandies Rose: Survivors Recall Their Nightmare – What Did They Witness Before the Ship Capsized?
Haunted by Scandies Rose: Survivors Recall Their Nightmare – What Did They Witness Before the Ship Capsized?
Deadliest Catch follows the lives of crab fishermen who spend most of their lives at sea. Some of the stars of the Discovery show have been in their field of work for generations, while others are new to commercial fishing entirely. Sadly, due to the nature of the job, many accidents happen and lives are lost at sea.
Many boats have capsized over Deadliest Catch‘s 19 seasons. From perilous weather conditions to freak accidents, survivors of some of the worst conditions at sea have tragically had to experience the loss of their colleagues on the Discovery Channel show.
What boat went down on Deadliest Catch?
At the time of writing, it’s been almost four years since the F/V Scandies Rose tragically sank.
The fishing vessel was featured on Deadliest Catch season 16.
On December 31, 2019, the 130-foot-long boat, which was built in 1978, sank after leaving Kodiak, Alaska.
The vessel “sank in frigid waters near Sutwik Island,” reports Alaska News Source.
Only two survived Scandies Rose sinking
During an episode of Deadliest Catch, other vessel captains including Sig Hansen and Keith Colburn receive the news that the Scandies Rose has signalled a distress call.
Bering Sea legend Captain Gary Cobban was at the helm at the time of the boat being “missing.”
Captain Keith Colburn cries during Deadliest Catch explaining that Gary was “the last person he talked to in Dutch before we flew home.”
He wiped his tears and continued: “He was excited, he’s got family stuff too, everyone’s excited to go home for the holidays. Let’s just hope we can bring everyone home.”
Captain Gary Cobban was tragically one of the five men who lost their lives in the ship’s sinking.
There were only two survivors of the accident – John Lawler and Dean Gribble Jr. Five were “never found,” reports Alaska News Source.
The five men who sadly lost their lives were: “Gary Cobban Jr, 60, his son, David Cobban, 30, Seth Rosseau-Gano, 31, Arthur Ganacias, 50, and Brock Rainey, 47” writes National Fisherman.
Survivor recounts harrowing last moments
Scandies Rose survivor Jon Lawler recounted the final moments leading up to the ship’s sinking speaking at a public hearing in 2021, reports Alaska News Source.
He said he remembered thinking: “This is not good. This; there’s no coming back from this. We’re sinking. Now.”
As reported by National Fishermen, Board Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said: “The Scandies Rose did not capsize because the crew or the captain did not do their jobs, or because the vessel had been poorly maintained,”
“It sank because its captain only had partial access to the information that he needed to make the right decision. And the information that he did have was inaccurate.”
Many fans of the Discovery show took to X (Twitter) to share their condolences following the awful news that the five crew members had been lost at sea.
One tweeted: “RIP Scandies Rose FV and to all your families I send my thoughts and prayers.”
Another wrote: “My heart goes out to all family and friends of the Scandies Rose capt and crew.”
