Search underway for missing man near Willapa Bay entrance

Logo from USCG

The Coast Guard and other agencies report that are searching for a missing man who was aboard a vessel in distress Sunday off the coast near the Willapa Bay entrance.

According to USCG, watchstanders received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon transmission Sunday at approximately 7:30 p.m. from the 46-foot crabbing vessel Ethel May near the Willapa Bay Entrance.

The Ethel May is based out of Bay Center.

Watchstanders were notified that the wife of one of the men aboard the vessel called 911 to report an emergency aboard the vessel. A helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria and 47- foot Motor Lifeboat crews from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor were sent to assist the mariners in distress.

The aircrew arrived on scene and safely hoisted 2 individuals from a life raft. The survivors reported a third and final crewmember was still missing.

A Coast Guard rescue crew from Air Station Astoria safely hoists two men into an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter near Willapa Bay, Washington, Feb. 5, 2023. Their 46-foot crabbing vessel sank and an emergency radio beacon was activated notifying the Coast Guard of the incident. (U.S. Coast Guard video)

Both survivors were taken ashore to awaiting emergency medical services and then taken to Willapa Harbor Hospital for further evaluation.

The aircrew returned to the scene and, along with the Coast Guard boatcrew, searched the area throughout the night for the missing crewmember.

Search crews located debris from the vessel within Willapa Bay and the abutting waters of the pacific, indicating the vessel has broken apart.

“We want nothing more than to find the last individual from the fishing vessel Ethel May,” said Lt. Cmdr. Colin Fogarty, the search and rescue mission coordinator for Sector Columbia River. “Since the Coast Guard received initial reports, our operators have been diligently carrying out search operations. We have assets on the water, in the air, and on shore from four different Coast Guard units and we are interfacing with local agencies to effectively search Willapa Bay and the surrounding area.”

Involved in the search are:

Coast Guard Air Station Astoria
Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor
Coast Guard Sector North Bend
Coast Guard Sector Columbia River
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine and shoreside search personnel
Coast Guard Incident Management Personnel from Sector Columbia River searching from the shore using a side-by-side vehicle.