Commercial Fishing Vessel Sinks Near Henry Island, Wash.

The crew of Coast Guard cutter Adelie rescued a man and a dog after an 8-foot commercial fishing vessel sank west of Henry Island, Wash. on May 3, 2024. The cutter crew located the survivor and the dog and transported them to Port Angeles in stable condition. U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Coast Guard cutter Adelie.

A commercial fishing vessel sank just west of Henry Island, Wash. in early May, leading to a response by the U.S. Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology and San Juan County, Wash. officials.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report around 6 a.m. on May 3 that the 48-foot commercial fishing vessel Chief Joseph was taking on water with one person and a dog aboard.

Sector watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Bellingham and the crew of Coast Guard cutter Adelie to respond to the reported distress.

The person and dog managed to depart the vessel aboard a life raft and reached the shore of Henry Island aboard the raft. The crew of the Adelie located the person and dog, transferred them to the cutter, and transported them to Port Angeles in stable condition.

The Coast Guard helicopter aircrew conducted an overflight of the area and reported a 100-yard sheen on the water and a debris field from the sunken vessel. The Coast Guard cutter remained on scene to recover the items before transporting the survivor and the dog to shore.

The Chief Joseph has a maximum capacity of 850 gallons of diesel and was reported to be carrying roughly 400 to 500 gallons. Oil spill response organization Global Diving and Salvage was contracted to evaluate the condition of the vessel and mitigate the threat of pollution to the environment.

As of mid-May, the cause of the incident was still under investigation.