The Arctic Rose vanished in the Bering Sea on April 2, 2001, with all fifteen crew members aboard, including 36-year-old Angel Mendez. The 92-foot vessel was last reported about 205 miles northwest of St. Paul Island, Alaska, in severe weather: winds around 45 knots and seas up to 24 feet. No mayday or distress call was received; the only signal was the ship’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon.

A Coast Guard investigation located the wreck on the ocean floor and used a remotely operated vehicle to observe that a watertight door on the processing deck was open and a discharge chute was partially open. Those breaches, together with prior unapproved structural changes and ongoing mechanical problems, would have allowed rapid flooding. Coast Guard calculations suggested the vessel could have sunk in less than two minutes.

Wrongful death lawsuits were filed on behalf of the crew, alleging the owners made alterations without proper stability analysis and did not provide adequate training. If anyone knew Angel Mendez, his shipboard role, or has information about the Arctic Rose’s final voyage, please share what is known.