Crewman: Alaska Ranger rode through heavy ice before sinking
By LEVI PULKKINEN
P-I REPORTER
A former Alaska Ranger crewman testified Wednesday that company officials charged with finding fish may have directed the boat into heavy ice a month before the Seattle-based boat's sinking.
So-called "fish masters" -- crewmembers representing the fish buyer, in many cases Japanese-held companies, responsible for maximizing the catch -- often countermanded ship captains working for the Ranger's owner, Seattle-based Fishing Co. of Alaska, said David Hull, a Ranger crewman of three years.
Speaking to a panel of investigators looking into the sinking, Hull recounted the harrowing details of the March 23 disaster that claimed the lives of five crewmembers.
In February, Hull said, the Ranger was directed into the toughest ice he'd faced in his five years at sea. The order, Hull said, came from the fish master, not Capt. Eric Peter Jacobsen of Lynnwood, who was killed when the Ranger went down.
"Honestly, the fish master basically runs the ship. That's how it stands"
A joint U.S. Coast Guard-National Transportation Safety Board panel was scheduled to hear Wednesday from several survivors of the sinking and others familiar with the 35-year-old fishing boat. The hearings, which started in Seattle on Tuesday, follow a series of meetings in Dutch Harbor and Anchorage, Alaska.
The panel has not determined what caused the catastrophic flooding at the ship's stern that claimed the vessel, said Capt. Michael Rand, the ranking Coast Guard officer on the panel. But investigators haven't ruled out damage from the ice as a possible cause.
Panelists also inquired out the status of the Ranger's watertight doors at the time of the sinking and the condition of the ship. They also asked Hull about reports of drinking aboard the Ranger and allegations that Fishing Co. of Alaska ignored the problem.
Hull said that, while fishing for sole and rockfish in the Aleutian Islands earlier this year, the Ranger was directed into a broken field of ice. Hull said he believes the vessel's fish master forced the Ranger into the ice.
""I've been through ice before, and I've never experienced that vibration before," said Hull, of Long Beach, Calif. "It was enough to hurt your ears at certain points."
At Fishing Co. of Alaska, Hull said, vessel captains can be fired if they don't follow directions given by the fish master.
"I don't want anyone to underestimate the power the Japanese (fish masters) have at FCA," Hull said. "Honestly, the fish master basically runs the ship. That's how it stands," he added.
The vessel's fish master, Japan citizens Satoshi Konno, is presumed to have died in the sinking. His body has not been found.
On another Fishing Co. of Alaska boat, Hull and others were ordered to rinse leaked hydraulic fluid off of a load of soiled fish, he said. The captain of that vessel, the Alaska Spirit, had initially ordered that the fish be tossed overboard. But, Hull said, the captain relented after an argument with the fish master.
During Hull's testimony, an attorney representing Fishing Co. of Alaska interrupted Hull and demanded that the hearing be recessed. In objecting, attorney John Neeleman called Hull's testimony on the issue "rank hearsay."
Questioning Hull on cross-examination, Neeleman accused Hull of attempting to "extort" Fishing Co. of Alaska after Hull was approached last week by an insurance adjuster hired by the company.
Nelman claimed Hull, after being offered $35,000 to settle any claims against the company, promised to destroy photos and videos taken aboard the Ranger for a payment of $100,000.
"Do you recall telling her that you'd toss the evidence?" Neeleman asked.
Hull disputed Neeleman's claim, and said he told the adjuster about the video in reference to its use in a future civil suit. He flatly denied offering to toss evidence and said he wanted to avoid a lawsuit but believes the damage he suffered when the Ranger sank was worth more than $35,000.
Hull also said that several of his crewmembers drank while at sea in violation the policy of Fishing Co. of Alaska. In previous hearings, other survivors also discussed drinking at sea.
Following the hearing, Hull praised the Jacobsen and the ship's first mate, and said he has no animosity toward the company. But he's passed up fishing jobs since the sinking and said he doesn't expect to head back to sea.
"When I look at the water, sometimes I see the faces of those guys who died," Hull said. "I don't think I'll be jumping onto a boat anytime soon."
