 February 24 , 2003
A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka was flying in the vicinity of Fredrick Sound when they spotted two men on the north side of Kupreanof Island frantically waving their arms signaling for help. The men, Kenneth Goldsbury and his brother Tilman Goldsbury, of Ketchikan, had become stranded the day before when their 36-foot commercial salmon troller sank. Information provided by the Coast Guard said the brothers were fishing when they sprung a plank and begin taking on water. After using the ship's dewatering pumps to no avail the brothers starting bailing water out with a five-gallon bucket. The Goldsburys sent out no rescue call, because they felt they didn't have time to make one. The men weren't able to keep up with the flooding and were forced to abandon ship on to the ship's skiff. The brothers were able to beach their skiff on Kupreanof Island where they built a fire to get them through the cold night. The men were in good condition
Thursday morning when the Coast Guard rescue crew hoisted them
to safety. The brothers were taken to Wrangell where they were
released. According to the USCG, at this time there are no salvage
plans for the sunken boat.
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