Rodney Patkutag Howarth was 39 when he vanished from a sea voyage in Alaska on August 10, 1986. He and a companion, Don Hammond, were aboard the Seagull II, a 56-foot converted diesel landing craft carrying a portable drill rig and pilings from Kotzebue to Deering. The vessel and both men never reached their destination and were reported missing to the Alaska State Troopers on August 11, 1986.

Howarth was described as 5 feet 9 inches, about 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. At the time he was believed to be wearing gray coveralls, a summer jacket, a dark blue baseball hat, and brown leather shoes. No wreckage, cargo, or survivors have ever been found, and there is no clear indication of what happened to the Seagull II or its crew.

The disappearance remains an unsolved maritime mystery and a painful loss for the families. If anyone knew Rodney, Don Hammond, the Seagull II, or saw anything along the Kotzebue–Deering route in August 1986, please share what is known.