William Atkin Posey, known as Bill, was 24 and working as a deckhand aboard the F/V Western Sea when the 58-foot wooden seine boat and its crew were last seen in Marmot Bay between Kodiak and Afognak Islands in mid-August 1985. The vessel disappeared after August 15, and is presumed to have sunk on or around August 19, 1985. Debris including the pilot house and a life preserver were found east of Long Island, but the boat itself was never recovered.

Three crewmen — captain Jerald Bouchard and deckhands Peter Barry and Stewart Darling — were recovered, but William Posey and another deckhand, Chris Hofer, were never located and are believed to have been lost at sea. The investigation reported the aging vessel lacked a life raft, survival suits, and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The captain’s autopsy showed cocaine in his system, and a former crewman who left before the final voyage had described safety concerns aboard the boat.

Anyone who knew Bill Posey, worked on the Western Sea, or has information about the vessel’s final days is asked to come forward.