Ronald V. Hoffman, 37, was captain and owner of the 60-foot crab boat F/V Hellion when he disappeared from the Dutch Harbor area on November 22, 1979. Hoffman and two crewmembers, Walter Laughead of Seldovia and 19-year-old Aaron Goin of Oregon, left Dutch Harbor that day to haul crab pots and head for Beaver Inlet for winter storage.

A severe storm struck the region on November 23 with winds reported up to 70 knots and seas near 20 feet. Communication with the Hellion was lost during the storm and the vessel and all three men were never found. A report was made to the Alaska State Troopers the day after the last contact; no wreckage or survivors were recovered and the Hellion was presumed lost at sea.

Few concrete details exist beyond the last known departure and the storm conditions that followed. Did anyone in the shipping or fishing community near Dutch Harbor have additional sightings or communications with the Hellion on November 22?