​On July 28, 2025, about 2100 local time, the 198-ton, wood-hulled Sea Ranger departed Juneau, Alaska, with four persons on board (including the owner), en route to Seldova, Alaska, where the owner planned to use the vessel as a moored houseboat. The intended route was a straight line crossing the Gulf of Alaska.

Almost immediately after getting underway, the 82-year-old vessel began taking on water through the seams in the wood hull above the waterline, but the crew was initially able to control the water ingress. Two days later, on July 30, one of the steering cables broke, and the crew rigged emergency steering using come-alongs. The vessel did not turn around or seek a safe harbor but instead continued its journey through the Gulf of Alaska to Seldovia.

On August 1, the vessel began taking on water at an increased rate. While attempting to pump out the water, the bilge pump failed and the firefighting pump (which could be aligned to pump the bilge) became clogged. The crew resorted to using a portable electrical submersible pump, but water continued to ingress and began filling the engine room and aft hold.

At 1017, the crew notified the US Coast Guard that the Sea Ranger was taking on water. The Coast Guard launched a C-130 to the scene, and, at 1308, the C-130 located the Sea Ranger and determined the crew was not in distress. The C-130 dropped two dewatering pumps nearby the Sea Ranger and departed the scene. The Sea Ranger crew was able to retrieve one of the pumps from the water, but when they attempted to use it to dewater the aft hold, it became clogged.

At 1557, the Sea Ranger reported to the Coast Guard that the vessel was adrift and taking on water, and the dewatering pumps could not be started. Another Coast Guard C-130 and an MH-60 helicopter were launched to the scene. At 1942, the crew was hoisted to the helicopter and taken ashore.

After rescue, the owner contracted an aircraft to search for the abandoned ​vessel, but it could not be found.

Investigation

​The Sea Ranger was lost and could not be examined by investigators. Following the loss of the vessel, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez and NTSB investigators interviewed the owner and one of the three other persons on board, who held a 25-ton merchant mariner credential. No one else on board had any maritime experience.​

​​​The preliminary investigation found that the vessel involved in the sinking was being used as a recreational vessel at the time of the casualty. Because the vessel was lost, the exact cause of the flooding could not be determined. The Coast Guard is not expected to produce a separate report.  There does not appear to be any commercial maritime operational or design nexus. Therefore, we have determined that this casualty does not warrant continued investigation and recommend that we close this investigation.