Captain stayed on boat sinking off WA, officials say. He’s been missing for days
A 44-year-old man has been missing for days since he stayed on his sinking fishing boat off Washington, officials said.
Jon Stevenson’s vessel started taking on water at about 8:15 a.m. Friday, May 9 near the Grays Harbor bar entrance, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release.
Pumps couldn’t keep up with the water, so Stevenson and his crew signaled for help, officials said.
Another person in a boat showed up with a “dewatering pump,” but the 68-foot vessel called Captain Raleigh sank quickly, officials said.
Three crew members went into the water wearing life jackets while Stevenson stayed on the sinking boat, the Coast Guard said.
A Coast Guard boat retrieved the three people and took them to be medically evaluated.
Then rescuers began searching for Stevenson, officials said.
A Navy dive team couldn’t get to the wreckage until 6 p.m., officials said.
“Unfortunately, debris, poor visibility, and strong subsurface currents prevented the divers from accessing the interior of the fishing vessel,” the Coast Guard said in the release.
The search was then called off at 8:40 p.m., officials said.
Stevenson was a husband and father of three, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, a nonprofit group, posted on Facebook.
He was also a beloved member of the commercial fishing community in the West Coast.
“An outstanding man who spent his life taking care of and entertaining all with his wicked sense of humor, Jon was deeply cherished by everyone who knew him,” the group said.
A candlelit vigil was held for Stevenson on May 10 at Fisherman’s Memorial Sanctuary in Newport, Oregon.
The Washington Department of Ecology is working to minimize pollution from the wreckage, the Coast Guard said.
So far, the shoreline hasn’t been impacted.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Captain stayed on boat sinking off WA, officials say. He’s been missing for days."
