Kaino Dixon, 24, was a crewman on the fishing vessel Cougar who went missing after a hunting trip from the vessel on November 12, 1981. He and fellow crewman Dwight Florin departed Kodiak Island in a 12-foot aluminum skiff named the Dawn. Weather reportedly deteriorated that day, with waves near shore described as six to eight feet high, and the two men are believed to have become stranded on the island.

That night an SOS was flashed toward the Cougar and a distress flare was fired; a non-distress flare was reportedly fired later. The Cougar attempted a rescue Thursday night but was forced back by rough seas, and when the crew reached shore on Friday, November 13, there was no sign of Dixon, Florin, or the Dawn. An extensive search found no trace, and both men are presumed to have perished at sea.

Are there any witnesses or family members who recall details of the men’s trip, the skiff Dawn, or the conditions off Kodiak that week?