Two dead, one hospitalized after boat sinks near Gustavus

Visualization of Glacier Bay, based on Landsat imagery and USGS elevation data
Visualization of Glacier Bay, based on Landsat imagery and USGS elevation data. (Public Domain photo)

A father and son died and another person was hospitalized after a boat sank near Gustavus Monday evening.

Larry Roger McWilliams, 75, and his son Gary Roger McWilliams, 48, were among the six people who ended up in the water after their boat, the Invader, sank while they were fishing near Strawberry Island in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

At about 5 p.m., the National Park Service in Glacier Bay called the Coast Guard for assistance in a water rescue. Passengers from the 27-foot recreational boat were in trouble, said Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Jennifer Ferreira.

“It began taking on water and eventually capsized near Strawberry Island there in the park,” Ferreira said.

Ferreira said the Coast Guard sent a helicopter from Sitka to assist the Park Service. She says everyone had been rescued by the time the helicopter arrived. The Coast Guard did transport one critically injured person to Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Park Service spokesperson Tom Vandenberg said one of the passengers managed to make it to shore and shot off a flare. Several private vessels were in the area and reached them before the Park Service or Coast Guard arrived.

“Everything from the day tour boat to a small research vessel, larger tour vessel and some other private and charter boats converged on the area and began picking people out of the water,” Vandenberg said.

He said it isn’t clear what time the Invader sank, but the passengers, who were most likely fishing for halibut, had been in the water for awhile and were severely hypothermic.

A tour vessel, the Wilderness Discoverer, located two unresponsive victims. Vandenberg said they were given CPR but never regained consciousness and were pronounced dead when they arrived at Bartlett Cove.

He said next of kin for the two who died have been notified.

According to a Park Service news release, the weather was calm and clear Monday. A response team is headed to the area Tuesday to find and secure the Invader. The incident is being investigated.

Rashah McChesney

Daily News Editor

I help the newsroom establish daily news priorities and do hands-on editing to ensure a steady stream of breaking and enterprise news for a local and regional audience.

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