Coast Guard Kicks Off 'Alaska Juris' Investigation Hearing

was last seen about 690 west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska on July 26, 2016. U.S. Coast Guard Photo

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday kicked off a public hearing on its investigation into the abandoning and sinking of the fishing vessel Alaska Juris off the coast of Alaska earlier this year.

The 10-day Formal Marine Investigation is open to the public and is taking place at the Henry Jackson Federal Building in Seattle, Washington.

The intent of the hearing is to interview witnesses and gather information about the cause of the sinking of the fishing/processor vessel Alaska Juris in the Bering Sea on July 26, 2016. The vessel is believed to have sank in approximately 5,400 feet of water after the crew abandoned ship about 690 miles west of Dutch Harbor Alaska.

After reporting flooding in the engine room, all 46 crew members donned survival suits and abandoned ship in life rafts. They were later picked up by good samaritan commercial vessels diverted to assist in the rescue.

The Coast Guard search located a diesel sheen in the search area but the Alaska Juris itself was never found.