'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 8 Preview: The start of winter and the tragic sinking of the Scandies Rose
It is the start of the winter season, but bad news hits the crew like a shockwave. On New Year's eve, the Bering Sea fishing vessel, Scandies Rose went down and took the lives of five fishermen: longtime captain Gary Cobban Jr., 60; his son, David Cobban, 30; Seth Rosseau-Gano, 31; Arthur Ganacias, 50, and Brock Rainey, 47. Only two members of the crew— John Lawler and Dean Gribble Jr survived. Investigations revealed a list of reasons that led to the tragic capsizing of the boat.
The sinking of the Scandies Rose brings back the horrid memories of another vessel, the 'Destination' that sank in 2017. Heavier crab pots that far exceeded the weight used in stability instructions, stability stress, the additional weight of the bait on the boat, and excessive icing from the spray coupled with down flooding from an open hold access hatch were the factors that resulted in the sinking of the 'Destination', a Nationalfisherman report read.
So far, crews of the Summer Bay (led by Wild Bill Wichrowksi), Lady Alaska (Scott Campbell Junior), Northwestern (Sig Hansen), and Wizard (Monte Colburn) have taken a head start to the Opilio Snow Crab catching season. The opening sequences that show the icing of the bow and the deck just give an idea of how dangerous these missions are. In addition to crabbing, just about every safety check has to be done almost all the time so as to not get into deep trouble.
The news of Mayday call hits the captains, alarming them about the tragedy that's taking place even as they try and come to terms with the situation. This tragedy isn't an ideal start to the season and if anything, the fear of what befell to the Scandies Rose will be weighing in on the skippers and their crews even as they wade through the stormy and treacherous Bering Sea.
Titled 'Mayday: Scandies Rose,' the official synopsis reads: "As winter slams the fleet, the Coast Guard responds to a Mayday call while captains and crew brace for the loss of friends. The clock is ticking on the cod derby for Wild Bill and Junior, while Sig and Monte track an Opilio hoard at the Russian line." With this, the winter season promises danger and adrenaline-pumping episodes for the rest of the season.
'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 airs 8 pm ET on Discovery.