Wednesday saw two searches involving the Coast Guard taking place in Alaska's waters. Reports came in of missing men in Ketchikan as well as in the area north of Unimak Pass in the Bering Sea. Both searches were suspended with no results by Wednesday evening.

Coast Guard and good samaritan crews searched an area of 64 square miles in the waters ten miles north of Unimak Island for ten hours on Wednesday after receiving a report from the vessel “Seafreeze” on Wednesday morning. That report advised the Coast Guard of a man overboard from the 87-foot Newport, Oregon vessel, the “Seeker.”

Watchstanders immediately launched a Coast Guard Air Station MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that was forward-deployed to Cold Bay to search for the missing crewmember. The Coast Guard cutter “Alex Haley” was also redirected from its routine patrol near Unalaska. The Jayhawk completed one search of the area, went back to Cold Bay , refueled, and launched for another search. The second search showed no results either. The “Alex Haley” arrived at the scene as 4:30 pm and assisted in the search as well.

By evening, with no results, the Coast Guard suspended it active search for the missing crewmember.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the missing man,” said Chief Petty Officer Chris Cole, a 17th District command center watchstander. “The decision to end a search is one of the most difficult choices to make as a search and rescue controller.”

In Ketchikan, the Coast Guard began a search for the owner of a houseboat, the Diver III, after receiving a report of that houseboat having drug anchor and approaching the breakwall in the Tongass Narrows. The owner of the houseboat is reported to be John Anderson.

Coast Guard launched a Station Ketchikan boat crew and investigated the 40-foot houseboat to find that it had been recently occupied, prompting a search of the waters nearby.

A Coast Guard helicopter began its search for the missing man at sunrise on Wednesday. But, by evening, that search was called off as well.

The Coast Guard is asking anyone with information regarding the location of the owner of the Diver III to contact the Sector Juneau command center at 907-463-2980.