Tillamook County Sheriff's Office, Oregon - Press Release 02-07-2006
http://www.tillamooksheriff.org
Crab boat breaks up at jetty; one confirmed dead
Second Body Found 02/10/2006 - See below
Third Body Found 02/13/2006 - See below
Published: February 7, 2006
BY NAN NELSON Headlight-Herald Staff
A U.S. Coast Guard boat makes its way out of the Barview Jetty as the search continues Tuesday morning for two missing fishermen.
NAN NELSON/Headlight-Herald
Jeffrey King
TCSO
BARVIEW — A Garibaldi fisherman is dead and two others were reported missing Tuesday after their
55-foot commercial crab boat capsized near the South Jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay.
Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said the body of Jeffrey Wayne King, 31, of Garibaldi
was found on the beach near the jetty. Still missing at mid-morning Tuesday were the boat's
skipper, Craig L. Larsen, 32, of Warrenton, and a third crewman, Trona Griffin, 31, of
Rockaway Beach.
According to the wife of one of the crew, they had 1,200 pounds of crab on board.
Anderson said the boat, the Cathren M. out of Warrenton, either capsized or struck the jetty
as it tried to enter the bay after experiencing engine problems early Tuesday morning.
According to Coast Guard officials, a call came in at approximately 1:30 a.m. from another
commercial fishing vessel that reported seeing two distress flares in the vicinity.
A Coast Guard spokesman in Seattle said a lifeboat from the Tillamook Bay station and a helicopter
from Astoria were launched to begin the search.
Also on scene were the Tillamook County Search and Rescue Team, Tillamook County Sheriff's
deputies and the Garibaldi Fire Department members.
Garibaldi Fire Chief Jay Marugg said his crew had been out since 2:30 Tuesday morning and
would remain at the scene "until all areas have been thoroughly saturated."
Officials reported that a life raft and three survival suits, possibly from the Cathren
M., were recovered from the South Jetty area, which was also littered with boat wreckage
debris. Second victim from boat disaster found
Published: February 10, 2006
The body of Trona Griffin, 30, a deckhand on the commercial crab boat that was wrecked earlier
in the week near the south jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay, was found early Friday
on the beach at Cape Meares.
Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said the body was found by local residents who
were walking on the beach. Anderson said debris from the wreck of the Catherine M had
also washed up on the beach nearby.
The body of crew member Jeffrey Wayne King, 31, of Garibaldi, was found Tuesday morning,
several hours after the Catherine M went down while trying to enter Tillamook Bay.
The boat's skipper, Craig L. Larsen, 32, of Warrenton, was still missing and presumed
dead on Friday.
For complete coverage, see the Feb. 15 edition of the
Headlight-Herald.
Third body believed to be missing fisherman
Posted: 5:25 PM, Feb. 13, 2006
TILLAMOOK (AP) - A body found on the beach near Tillamook Bay Monday morning was believed
to be that of the owner of a 46-foot crabbing boat which sank and killed all three crewmen.
While the identity had not been confirmed, authorities are assuming the body is that of
32-year-old Craig Larsen, of Hammond.
The Catherine M sank in the same area early Feb. 8. Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson
says the body was found by a beachcomber on Bayocean Spit.
The bodies of Larsen's two crew members, both from Garibaldi were found last week. Jeff King
and Trona Griffin were both 30.
The men were apparently headed across the rough Tillamook Bay bar with a 1,200-pound load of
crab when the boat capsized. Three survival suits and an empty rescue boat were found -- but
no survivors.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
