The Selendang Ayu disaster off Unalaska on December 8, 2004, ended in multiple losses during a desperate evacuation. The Malaysian-registered bulk cargo ship suffered catastrophic engine failure and was adrift in severe Aleutian weather before running aground near Spray Cape. A U.S. Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter evacuated seven crew, including 52-year-old crew member Narendra Singh Yadav, when a rogue wave struck the helicopter, causing its engines to flame out and the aircraft to crash into the Bering Sea.

Three Coast Guard personnel and one crewman were rescued, but Narendra Singh Yadav and five other crew members were lost. Search efforts across hundreds of square miles were carried out but were suspended on December 10, 2004, because survival chances in 43-degree water were judged extremely low. The ship later broke in two, creating a major oil spill that affected the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

Anyone with memories of the Selendang Ayu response or information about the crew is asked to share what they know.