FV ''Northern Belle'' was a

fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...

that sank in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

on April 20, 2010. Three of her four crew were rescued alive; her captain, Robert Royer, died before rescue teams arrived. Upon discovery that the

EPIRB An emergency position-indicating radiobeacon (EPIRB) is a type of emergency locator beacon for commercial and recreational boats; it is a portable, battery-powered radio transmitter used in emergencies to locate boaters in distress and in nee ...

(Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon) was not operational, Captain Robert Royer returned to the bridge to send a

distress call A distress signal, also known as a distress call, is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals are communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a sou ...

, believed to have saved the other crew members. Royer suffered a major head injury trying to jump overboard, and was found with no vital signs when the US Coastguard arrived.

References

1979 ships 2010 in Alaska Fishing ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 2010 Shipwrecks of the Alaska coast {{ship-stub