On March 22, 1990, 45-year-old crewman Joseph Alaimo was aboard the 162-foot fishing trawler Aleutian Enterprise when the vessel capsized and sank about 60 miles south of St. Paul Island, Alaska. The crew was hauling a net when it broke, dumping tons of fish onto the deck and causing the boat to list. Water flooded the processing deck through openings that were not properly sealed, and the ship sank within minutes.

Twenty-two of 31 people on board were rescued by nearby fishing vessels. Nine crewmen, including Joseph Alaimo, were never found after search efforts and are presumed lost at sea. A Coast Guard investigation cited safety failures: unresolved flooding from a prior voyage, delayed abandon-ship orders, inaccessible survival gear, and blocked emergency exits. The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the sinking to the operating company’s lack of adequate training, procedures, and safety oversight.