A 15-year-old boy from the Alaska Native village of Savoonga survived roughly two days adrift in the Bering Sea by clinging to the hull of an overturned fishing skiff, after a trip that killed his older brother and a second man from their community. The account comes from the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, and reporting by Alaska outlets including the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media and Alaska’s News Source.
Key facts
- Who survived: a 15-year-old boy from Savoonga, unnamed at his family’s request; he is now recovering at home.
- Who died: Sidney Kulowiyi, 35, the boy’s older brother, and Barton Rookok, 34, a cousin — both of Savoonga.
- When they set out: Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in an 18-foot skiff to fish for halibut; due back by roughly 3 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6.
- When the alarm was raised: Alaska State Troopers notified around 2:30 p.m. that Sunday; the Coast Guard’s Arctic District command center around 8:30 p.m.
- When the boy was found: Monday, Sept. 7, by a Coast Guard HC-130 crew, about 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island, atop the capsized skiff and showing signs of hypothermia.
- How long he was adrift: roughly two days atop the hull; the Coast Guard has said it cannot pin down the exact time of the capsizing.
- Who rescued him: the 162-foot Northwest Explorer, a vessel nearby on a federal trawl survey; it also recovered the two bodies and carried all three toward Nome, arriving early Tuesday, Sept. 8.
- What caused the capsizing: not officially determined; relatives, relaying their own account rather than an investigators’ finding, say a fishing line tangled in the outboard motor as weather worsened.
The voyage and the search
The three had left Savoonga, a Siberian Yupik village on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in an 18-foot skiff to fish for halibut. They were due back by roughly 3 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6. When they didn’t return, Alaska State Troopers were notified around 2:30 p.m. that Sunday, and the Coast Guard’s Arctic District command center learned of it that evening, around 8:30 p.m. Poor weather and low visibility kept Coast Guard aircraft grounded overnight; a search plane wasn’t able to take off from Kodiak until the next morning.
The rescue
That HC-130 Hercules crew spotted the boy Monday morning, Sept. 7, sitting atop the capsized skiff about 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island. He was showing signs of hypothermia. The plane dropped flares and a life raft but couldn’t complete a rescue on its own, so the Coast Guard directed a nearby vessel, the 162-foot Northwest Explorer — which was in the area conducting a federal trawl survey — to the site. Its crew pulled the teenager aboard with a heaving line and also recovered the bodies of the two men who had been with him. The vessel carried all three toward Nome for medical care, arriving early Tuesday, Sept. 8. The Coast Guard has said it cannot speculate on the exact time of the capsizing, but based on the boat’s expected return time, the boy had likely been atop the hull for roughly two days by the time he was found.
Who died
On Sept. 10 and 11, Alaska State Troopers publicly identified the two men who died as Sidney Kulowiyi, 35, and Barton Rookok, 34, both of Savoonga. Kulowiyi was the surviving teenager’s older brother. Family members, including an aunt quoted in wire reporting, described him as a commercial fishing boat captain who had served as a father figure to his younger brother since their own father died. Rookok, the third man aboard, was also from Savoonga. Alaska’s News Source and the Anchorage Daily News have both since described him as a cousin of the survivor and his brother, resolving what earlier reporting left unclear.
What caused the capsizing
What actually caused the boat to flip has not been officially determined. A Coast Guard spokesman, Petty Officer Nathan Bishop, told the Anchorage Daily News: “At this time, there is no active Coast Guard investigation, and we cannot speculate on the cause or the exact time of the incident.” Separately, relatives — relaying their own account secondhand, not a finding from investigators — have told reporters that a fishing line became tangled in the boat’s outboard motor, the group couldn’t free it, and the weather worsened before the skiff capsized.
Why the survivor hasn’t been named
Neither the Coast Guard nor Alaska State Troopers has released the surviving teenager’s name, citing his age. A family spokesperson has asked reporters to use only first names for the boy and his brothers, and at least one outlet that has covered this story, Alaska’s News Source, has printed a first name on that basis. This article is still not using any name for him — first name, nickname or full name — because no official source has confirmed one, and the more cautious course remains the right one here.
Savoonga and the family’s account
Savoonga is a small Siberian Yupik community of roughly 835 people, closer to Russia than to mainland Alaska, where subsistence and commercial fishing are central to daily life. The teenager’s mother, Vina Kulowiyi, wrote on Facebook that the trip was partly meant to bring back fish for community members who don’t have regular access to a store. She said her son “was never afraid the whole time” and “lived on prayer with no food and water” during the ordeal, and that he is now recovering at home.
Coast Guard’s statement
Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, issued a statement after the rescue: “Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners. We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer, Federal, State, Village first responders and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”