Four fishermen lost at sea.

A very sad case happened over the weekend near the North Pacific coast of  Wasahington state as this report  by Jeff Barnard of  AP:

 The brother of one of four commercial fishermen lost at sea wonders whether their 70-foot trawler hit a rogue wave and sank.

 The Lady Cecelia disappeared off the Washington coast Saturday morning. The Coast Guard found only some debris, an oil sheen, crab pots and an empty life raft.

Among the four missing fishermen is deckhand Jason Bjaranson ((BYAR-an-son) of Warrenton, Ore.

 Bjaranson's brother, Adam Bjaranson, told The AP the Coast Guard speculates the Lady Cecelia may have hit a rogue wave.

 Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Shawn Eggert says that is possible, if the trawler hit a rogue wave at just the right angle.

Also missing are skipper Dave Nichols of Warrenton, deckhand Luke Jensen of Ilwaco, Wash., and NOAA Fisheries Service observer Chris Langel of Kaukauna, Wis.

It is certainly plausible that the cause was a freaque wave as the headline of this report declares "Boat sank so fast no time for distress call!"  What else can lead to this result?  The case inevitably reminds us of the loss of 70' longliner Andrea Gail during a Northeaster in North Atlantic in the fall of 1991 of the "Perfect Storm" fame. The size of the boats are similar, and the condition as another report indicates:

Conditions near where the fishermen went missing reached 46-degree water temperatures, 12-foot seas and winds up to 75 miles per hour . . .

so it may not be a raging storm but it was fairly rough nevertheless. Another time, another tragic, similar unfathomable condition.  Many questions, no answers possible.  There is nothing much we can do or say. Four fishermen lost at the sea, may they rest in peace.