Blaise Mascarenhas, 33, was a crew member aboard the Malaysian-registered bulk carrier M/V Selendang Ayu when the ship suffered an engine failure in the Bering Sea in early December 2004. The vessel drifted toward Unalaska Island in severe weather and multiple towing attempts failed. On December 8 the 26-person crew began an evacuation by Coast Guard helicopter; 18 crew members were rescued but a helicopter crashed after a rogue wave caused its engines to flame out. Three Coast Guard personnel and one crewman were pulled from the water; Blaise Mascarenhas and five other crewmen were lost at sea. The ship later ran aground, broke in two and spilled fuel oil and cargo, triggering a large cleanup. An extensive search covered hundreds of miles of coastline and ocean, but no trace of Mascarenhas or the other missing crew members was found and the official search was suspended on December 10, 2004.

Does anyone have memories of the Selendang Ayu rescue operations or information about the crew that could help fill gaps in this account?