In autumn 1994, 18-year-old Gordon John Young was a crew member aboard the 105-foot crab vessel F/V Fierce Competitor, which left Warrenton, Oregon, bound for King Cove, Alaska. The boat and its five-person crew — skipper Robert Simonsen (called Robbie Simonsen in some reports), his wife Vicki Rowe-Simonsen, Keithly Young, Larry Jones and Gordon Young — were reported missing in the Gulf of Alaska on October 26, 1994.

An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon signal led searchers to a zone where a life raft was later spotted about 450 miles southeast of Kodiak, roughly 50 miles from the EPIRB location. Severe weather prevented recovery of the raft, and no sign of any of the five crew members was found. The last known contact with the Fierce Competitor is dated October 26, 1994.

The disappearance remains unresolved and stands as a stark example of how quickly small fishing vessels can be lost in the Gulf of Alaska. If anyone had contact with the Fierce Competitor or its crew around late October 1994, please share what is known.