Richard Cobler was 27 and a PhD candidate from Oregon State University when he vanished from the research vessel Wecoma during a September morning in 1979. The ship left Honolulu Harbor around 8:35 a.m. and was about five miles southwest of Oahu when crew members assembled for a routine lifeboat drill at 9:00 a.m. and discovered Cobler was missing.

The Wecoma crew conducted an immediate onboard search and then alerted the United States Coast Guard, which carried out an extensive search of the surrounding waters. No trace of Cobler was ever found; there were no witnesses or physical evidence to explain his disappearance. The Honolulu Police Department investigated and the case remains open but cold, with no new leads reported.

If anyone was aboard the Wecoma that morning, or remembers seeing Richard Cobler before the drill, please come forward with any information.