Nine Fishermen Rescued After Vessel Runs Aground in Bering Sea Storm

On Monday, January 5th, 2026, nine fishermen spent more than seven hours stranded on their vessel near St. George Island during hurricane force winds. The individuals were subsequently rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The F/V ARCTIC SEA ran aground near the remote island of St. George, located 750 miles southwest of Anchorage, in conditions that made rescue treacherous. Winds were up to 50 knots with 10-foot seas when the U.S. Coast Guard’s Juneau command center received the distress call at 4:11 a.m.

A nearby fishing vessel, the F/V NORTH SEA, reached the scene first but couldn’t attempt a rescue in the extreme weather. Instead, the crew provided real-time updates to U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders coordinating the response.

U.S. Coast Guard dispatchers launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Cold Bay and an HC-130 Super Hercules from Kodiak, while also diverting USCGC ALEX HALEY (WMEC-39) to the area. The helicopter crew reached the grounded vessel at 11:30 a.m. and hoisted all nine crew members. Emergency medical personnel met the mariners in St. Paul.

“The crew of the Arctic Sea had effective communication and survival equipment onboard, allowing them to quickly alert the Coast Guard and pre-stage items for evacuation,” said Captain Vincent Jansen, Chief of Incident Management at the Arctic District. “This emergency preparedness greatly increased their chances of survival.”

Resolve Marine has been contracted to manage salvage operations for the grounded vessel, which remains at the scene.