Harry Lee Bellard was 50 when he vanished at sea on September 23, 1989. His disappearance is officially linked to the sinking of the 37-foot wooden tanker tug M/V Steadfast, which was towing an empty barge while taking part in cleanup work after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Steadfast encountered a severe gale northwest of the southern tip of Kayak Island, about 60 miles southeast of Cordova, and the crew sent a distress call around 8:40 p.m. reporting that the vessel was taking on water and they were preparing to abandon ship.

Three crew members reportedly had access to survival suits and a life raft, but search and rescue later recovered only a damaged life raft and a single survival suit floating between Hinchinbrook and Kayak islands; there was no sign of Bellard or the other two crew. The Alaska State Troopers are listed as the investigating agency. Some maritime casualty lists do not consistently include Bellard’s name among the deceased, creating a discrepancy in records.

Does anyone have personal knowledge of the Steadfast sinking, the crew, or information that could clarify Bellard’s fate?