COAST GUARD, NTSB LAUNCH MARINE BOARD OF INVESTIGATION FOR ALASKA RANGER CASUALTY

	Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventeenth District

Press Release	Date: March 27, 2008 Contact: Petty Officer Sara Francis Phone: (907) 321.4510
COAST GUARD, NTSB LAUNCH MARINE BOARD OF INVESTIGATION FOR ALASKA RANGER CASUALTY
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Coast Guard in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a Formal Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) into the sinking of the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger that claimed four fishermen's lives and left one crewman missing Sunday, March 23, 2008. The MBI will convene Friday morning in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor to review the initial circumstances of the casualty. The appointed MBI includes three Coast Guard members, Capt. Michael Rand, Chairman; Cmdr. John Nadeau, Lt. Cmdr. Ben Hawkins, and Liam LaRue, from the NTSB. "We will be seeking information from a wide range of sources," said Capt. Rand. "We will need to reconstruct the events of the incident and understand the operation and maintenance history of the vessel to allow us to determine what may have happened, how it happened and how we can prevent future incidents." These proceedings are open to the public and will continue in Seattle. Media interested in covering the event should contact PA1 Sara Francis at (907) 321-4510.
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