By Nathan Pilling

Kitsap Sun

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal research ships have found the Destination, a crab fishing vessel that had two West Sound men on its crew when it went missing in the Bering Sea earlier this year.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of its survey vessels located the Destination earlier this month in about 250 feet of water off St. George Island, a small island in the Bering Sea.

No bodies were found after a Coast Guard search in February. The vessel’s crew of six, which included Larry O’Grady, of Poulsbo, and Charles Glenn Jones, of Belfair, is presumed dead.

A Coast Guard dive team will use a remotely operated vehicle to investigate the wreckage later this month. Images from that investigation will provide visual confirmation of the wreck site and become part of a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation hearing on the sinking next month in Seattle.

NOAA’s vessel Oscar Dyson conducted an initial survey from April 30 through May 1 and narrowed down the search field. The NOAA ship Fairweather located the Destination using sonar imaging during its search July 8 and 9.

“The profile of the F/V Destination is clearly visible,” a NOAA release said, “including the bulbous bow to the right, the forward house and mast, equipment (likely crab pots) stacked amidships, the deck crane aft, and the skeg and rudder.”

Searchers were called to the waters near St. George in February after the vessel’s emergency locator beacon was activated. When searchers arrived, they found an oil slick, a life ring and buoys. The emergency beacon was located floating in the slick.