Floating in 90-Foot Waves Without a Life Raft: The La Conte Fishing Vessel Tragedy in Alaska | E197

This episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosted by medical professionals Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen dives into the harrowing account of the fishing vessel La Conte, which sank in the Gulf of Alaska on January 30th, 1998. The vessel, carrying five experienced fishermen, met its fate in one of the worst storms in Alaska's history. The lack of a life raft, combined with extreme weather conditions and the vessel's age, led to a catastrophic series of events. The crew's ordeal of surviving in 38-degree water in survival suits under hurricane-force winds is recounted in gripping detail. The podcast highlights the extraordinary efforts of three Coast Guard helicopter crews who braved impossible conditions to rescue three of the five men, making it one of the most challenging maritime rescues ever attempted. This story serves as a stark reminder of the ocean's unforgiving nature and the critical importance of proper safety equipment.

Timestamps-

00:31 Welcome to the Crux True Survival Story Podcast

00:55 Setting the Scene: A Nightmarish Survival Situation

02:49 The Sinking of the Fishing Vessel

04:09 The Fairweather Grounds: Dangerous Waters

05:18 The La Conte: An Aging Vessel

06:36 The Crew's Desperate Last Run

08:09 The Storm Intensifies

10:27 Abandoning Ship: Into the Freezing Waters

15:54 The Coast Guard's Harrowing Rescue Attempt

23:14 Desperate Attempts at Rescue

26:38 The Final Hope: Third Helicopter Crew

27:14 A Race Against Time and Hypothermia

29:48 The Heart-Wrenching Choices

32:57 The Aftermath and Investigation

40:31 Lessons Learned from the Tragedy

44:44 Conclusion and Reflections

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

Email us! [email protected]

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

References- 

1. Alaska Shipwrecks Database - La Conte entry with crew information and incident details (alaskashipwreck.com)
2. "Coming Back Alive" by Spike Walker - Detailed account based on survivor interviews
3. "The Last Run" by Todd Lewan - Associated Press investigative report and book
4. U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange records
5. Daily Sitka Sentinel, February 3, 1998 - "CG to Investigate Why Boat Didn't Have Raft"
6. NOAA Storm Data, January 1998 - Gulf of Alaska weather conditions
7. Coast Guard Aviation History archives - Rescue mission documentation

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.