On January 27, 1996, the 127-foot crab vessel Pacesetter capsized and sank about 65 miles northwest of Saint George Island in the Bering Sea. Elias Pena, 29, of Anchorage, Alaska, was one of seven crew members aboard; the manifest included Captain Matthew Pope, Stephen Mack, Richard Anderson, Michael Kirk Ericson, Byron Koesterman, Pena, and Stanley Eftestad. The vessel sent an automated EPIRB distress signal; searchers later recovered scattered debris, two empty life rafts, and a buoy marked with the vessel’s name, but no bodies.

The U.S. Coast Guard investigation identified a likely combination of factors: the free surface effect in the forward hold, an overload of crab pots, and severe weather. The sinking wiped out the entire crew and left families and communities without closure. If anyone has memories of Elias Pena, worked with him, or has information about the voyage or the Pacesetter, please share what is known.