Former Bonners Ferry man survives after fishing boat sinks in Alaska

Peggy Russell went through the longest five hours in her life last week.

The Bonners Ferry woman had gotten word that her son, Ryan Appling, was on the fishing vessel Katmai when it sank on Oct. 22 in Alaska’s Aleutian chain. It was not known at that time whether or not the 30-year-old former Bonners Ferry man had survived the icy waters 100 miles west of Adak.

Turns out, he did.

“I kept thinking they’re gonna call and say ‘he’s dead,’” Russell told the Herald on Tuesday. “He was very lucky. It was God that saved him. I thank God every day.”

Appling was among four who survived after the ship sank and was tossed by two-story high waves. He spent 17 hours in a raft, that capsized several times, before being rescued by a helicopter. Seven others perished.

On Tuesday, Appling testified before the Marine Board of Investigation about the events that led to the vessel’s sinking, according to a published report.

Appling, who is new to the fishing community, was a crew member as well as a fish processor on the Katmai. During his testimony, he told the board of the average day-to-day routine the crew participated in when they fished and processed the fish, according to the report. He then went into detail about the events leading up to when the boat lost steering, abandoning ship and finally rescued by the Coast Guard.

He also talked about his experience of survival in the rescue raft after abandoning ship. Appling said the waves tossing the rescue raft multiple times threw the men into the water repeatedly. Every time they would swim back and conduct a head count.

“He told me if it would’ve happened again (he wouldn’t have survived),” Russell said.

The 53-year-old hasn’t seen her son, but will fly to Anchorage on Nov. 10. Russell’s church gave her the money to take the trip.

Capt. Henry Blake told the investigation board the boat lost steering power. That’s when its chief engineer, Bob Davis, discovered a leak on the bottom level and tried to quickly repair it.

Blake told the board about his many attempts to call for help, how the crew abandoned ship just before it sank.