Crewmember On Former Deadliest Catch Boat Tragically Dies

Tragedy for a crewmember from a Deadliest Catch crab boat that has seen its share of difficult times over the years. Here’s more from the Daily Press newspaper in Escanaba, Michigan:

28-year-old Jacob Riley Veeser, an Escanaba native, began working on vessels in the Bering Sea about nine years ago. Most recently, he was serving as a crew member aboard F/V Lady Alaska, which was featured on “Deadliest Catch,” the Discovery Channel documentary series that showcases the conditions and challenges of fishing treacherous Alaskan waters.

On the evening of Friday, April 4, the Unalaska Police Department was called to the Lady Alaska. Crewman Veeser was missing and had last been seen around midnight walking down the G1 dock at UniSea, Inc.’s processing facility on Iliuliuk Harbor. The area belongs to the Fox Islands, part of the Aleutian Islands chain.

A winter storm was underway when Veeser went missing. Travel advisories were in effect Thursday night and Friday “due to high winds and blowing snow causing whiteout conditions” and “snow accumulation and slippery roads.” Temperature was in the 30s, and 12.7 inches fell on Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sustained wind speeds were between 30 and 40 mph, with gusts between 40 and 50, according to Weather Underground reports and measurements taken at Unalaska Airport Station.

Condolences to Veeser’s loved ones.