Bering Sea medevac

A crewman who suffered "a crush injury to the arm" was hoisted off the fishing vessel Alaska Ocean over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.

Trawler crewman dies in welding accident

A crewman died this week in an explosion aboard the Bering Sea factory trawler Alaska Ocean, Unalaska police said.

Preliminary investigation found that welding set off gas inside a storage locker that held a leaking acetylene tank, said Mike Holman, Unalaska deputy chief.

The blast unhinged the locker door, which struck Franz d'Alquen, 48, from Arizona. He was declared deceased shortly thereafter.

The accident happened at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday. The Alaska Ocean was about 165 miles out of Unalaska at the time.

The 376-foot vessel belongs to Seattle-based Glacier Fish Co.

The body has been sent to the state medical examiner's office, Holman said.

Here's a brief obituary.

Another head injury reported on a factory trawler

The U.S. Coast Guard is reporting a man was medevaced this morning off the Bering Sea factory trawler Alaska Ocean after he was "struck in the head by one of the vessel's cables."

A Coast Guard helicopter crew hoisted Franz d'Alquen, 46, at about 11:20 a.m.

The 376-foot trawler was in calm seas some 50 miles north of Cold Bay. Glacier Fish Co. of Seattle operates the vessel.