On March 23, 2008, the U.S. fish processing vessel Alaska Ranger sank in the Bering Sea 120 nautical miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The vessel was owned by Fishing Company of Alaska, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Five of the 47 people on board died in the accident.

​​The probable cause of the sinking of the Alaska Ranger was uncontrolled, progressive flooding due to a lack of internal watertight integrity and to a breach of the hull’s watertight envelope, likely caused by a physical rudder loss. Contributing to the loss of life was the vessel’s movement astern, which likely accelerated the flooding and caused the liferafts to swing out of reach of many crewmembers.

​​As a result of this investigation, we made safety recommendations are made to the Coast Guard, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and ​Fishing Company of Alaska.