HI HI - Hauula, 'Barnacle Bill' UP6909, 19-25, SCUBA suit bought In Tacoma, Nov'82

[Captain Warren Good]

I am attaching a story that explains and demonstrates the currents between Alaska and Hawaii. From that information it would seem that if the body came from Alaska it would have taken two years or more of drift time. If the body came from the Washington/Oregon coast, it would have taken about a year. There were dozens of mariners lost in Alaskan waters that could have been the one found. The most notable mysteries that correspond with the drift time required were the 60 foot crab fishing vessel Hellion which disappeared near Unimak Pass November 23, 1979 with three fishermen aboard, the crab fishing vessel Norel disappeared March 17, 1980 in the Gulf of Alaska with three crewmembers aboard and the 75 foot trawler Commander disappeared in the Gulf of Alaska November 19, 1980 with four crewmen aboard. Also the Cory P was lost off of Seattle January 16, 1981. View attachment Nike Current.pdf

 

[Laughing]

I am attaching a story that explains and demonstrates the currents between Alaska and Hawaii. From that information it would seem that if the body came from Alaska it would have taken two years or more of drift time. If the body came from the Washington/Oregon coast, it would have taken about a year. There were dozens of mariners lost in Alaskan waters that could have been the one found. The most notable mysteries that correspond with the drift time required were the 60 foot crab fishing vessel Hellion which disappeared near Unimak Pass November 23, 1979 with three fishermen aboard, the crab fishing vessel Norel disappeared March 17, 1980 in the Gulf of Alaska with three crewmembers aboard and the 75 foot trawler Commander disappeared in the Gulf of Alaska November 19, 1980 with four crewmen aboard. Also the Cory P was lost off of Seattle January 16, 1981. View attachment 91135

Captain, thanks so much for bringing your knowledge to our mystery!

 

[Captain Warren Good]

Captain, thanks so much for bringing your knowledge to our mystery!

I was just going over all of the crewmembers from the boats I mentioned. I realized that the brother of a 19 year old who was aboard a vessel that disappeared in 1979 is in communication with me on my shipwreck website. Many family members and friends contact me for tidings of their lost or missing loved ones. Some lost spouses or children and some grandparents and distant relatives. I wonder if it would be appropriate for me to contact the living brother to see if he remembers a Bayley survival suit. I have another recent contact whose uncle disappeared in 1978 along with his boat. That contact lives in Norway and was sent a box of receipts and personal effects of his uncles when he never showed up at his place of residence. That particular missing person was 78 years old, but the retained box of memorabilia is a lesson.

 

[Laughing]

Bumping for our Barnacle Bob!

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Exposure suit says northern, shorts underneath says southern. Hmmmm. Since the only place we can tie him to is Tacoma, lets compile a list of vessels lost out of there in warmer months of 1981 and 1982.

Anyone on the ground in Tacoma who can look at an old city directory to find out who sold such exposure suits in 1979?

 

[apearn]

Anyone on the ground in Tacoma who can look at an old city directory to find out who sold such exposure suits in 1979?

Maybe old phone books online? I don't have time to look right now, but it's a thought.

The local Chamber of Commerce might be useful as well.......and any local groups or clubs or other gatherings of retired vessel captains.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Shorts in an exposure suit MIGHT say 'rousted out of bed and put suit on without dressing'- right?

Fascinating thread!

 

[Laughing]

Bobbing, er, Bumping for our Barnacle Bob the Sailor....

:seeya:

 

[EmmaliLucia]

So looking at that pdf story made me think of something...

If the suit was made in April of 1979 and the body was found 3 1/2 years later, would that be enough time if he had gone overboard in Alaska? If he went overboard while near Alaska it looks like he would be picked up and taken east by the Alaskan current, which would have had him go through the Oyashio current through the Kuroshio current all the way to the California current that would drop him off in Hawaii.


Anywhere in the Pacific NW is going to have water so cold that you are going to die if you are submerged for a long period of time. It appears like the California current, that goes down California's coast then loops back around to Hawaii starts near Florence, OR. Although on some other current charts it looks like it starts as far up north as Astoria or even Neah Bay, Washington.


Should we be looking for missing persons much farther south than Alaska, and possibly even as far south as California?

Edited to add: Here's a picture of the currents:

 

[EmmaliLucia]

I found something that may help us, it's a list of people who apparently went missing at sea from Washington State and Alaska.

I feel like there should be some sort of Namus for people missing at sea, doesn't NOAA care about this, or someone? They have websites on the internet detailing every plane crash known to mankind. Surely there must be something similar?

Link here. But good luck. There's a few names, very few missing dates, and no other information.

 

[Kodiak]

I just stumbled upon this case from NamUs. And I'm a longtime native here in Seattle, too.

I agree with the other poster that with the serial number of the suit, I hope LE looked into that and the Tacoma, Washington angle as well. With all the givens in the case, it seems like it wouldn't take much to solve this. But before I read this thread, my first impression was that he was not a tourist, but a fisherman that fell overboard way out at sea, just like the others mentioned as well. I might start looking at missing persons in this area from 1982 and back, perhaps he is listed somewhere.

 

[Kodiak]

Here is the new link to the KOMO Seattle news article that was posted from the OP that was a dead link:

'We don't know who he is, but we can know'
BY LINDSAY COHEN FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH 2013

http://komonews.com/archive/we-dont-know-who-he-is-but-we-can-know-11-22-2015


In the article, it states: "Anybody who was associated with this case is now gone from our office," Cadiente said. The body was cremated in 1982, she added, after multiple attempts were made to identify it through dental records."

Also, I don't understand the last paragraph:

"Despite a lack of more information, Ebbesmeyer remains undeterred.

"When he bought (the suit) in 1979, it had no serial number on it," Ebbesmeyer said. "We have no paper trail, because he paid cash. We have no serial number, because it was too early for that."

If that was the case, then how did the Medical Examiner in Hawaii get the serial number from the suit? I'm confused!

 

[Kodiak]

I created one of my BOLO Flyer designs for 'Barnacle Bill' and his case. It includes all the givens we have as of right now (April 2016). Please share and pass along:

 

[Laughing]

Bumping for Barnacle Bill,
uniquely suited but nameless still,
to Hawaii to floated
after becoming dis-boated
One day ID him we will!

 

[Laughing]

Beaches, coconuts, pineapple plantations,
Hawaii is a popular destination.
We don't know where Bill was bound
only where his suit was found.
Not much of a vacation!

(I won't quit my day job, I promise.)

I can spell, really I can! :seeya:

 

[Laughing]

I'm running short of doggerel
and words that rhyme with Barnacle
while Bill deserves the dignity
of being called by name.

So seek ye please
for sailing men
Who didn't make it home again
check the charts of sailing routes
and narrow the lists of orange suits
until at last we can match
our Barnacle Bill with a missing man
and tie up our loose ends
with nautical knots.

 

[U2forever]

Laughing, how clever you are with rhymes. Mr Bill, Barnacle Bill as he is now known, will someday have back how he was once in his past always known. With much thanks to you and a few more good WebSleuthers too.

It's obvious rhymes are not my forte. Lol





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[carbuff]

Here is the new link to the KOMO Seattle news article that was posted from the OP that was a dead link:

'We don't know who he is, but we can know'
BY LINDSAY COHEN FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH 2013

http://komonews.com/archive/we-dont-know-who-he-is-but-we-can-know-11-22-2015


In the article, it states: "Anybody who was associated with this case is now gone from our office," Cadiente said. The body was cremated in 1982, she added, after multiple attempts were made to identify it through dental records."

Also, I don't understand the last paragraph:

"Despite a lack of more information, Ebbesmeyer remains undeterred.

"When he bought (the suit) in 1979, it had no serial number on it," Ebbesmeyer said. "We have no paper trail, because he paid cash. We have no serial number, because it was too early for that."

If that was the case, then how did the Medical Examiner in Hawaii get the serial number from the suit? I'm confused!

I think it probably means that the store didn't record the serial number.

 

[Laughing]

Laughing, how clever you are with rhymes. Mr Bill, Barnacle Bill as he is now known, will someday have back how he was once in his past always known. With much thanks to you and a few more good WebSleuthers too.

It's obvious rhymes are not my forte. Lol





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for your kind words. Just trying to catch the attention of the right person to tie up BB's unraveled nautical knots.
Rhythm & flow of speech, you have!

 

[Laughing]

Found in Hawaii
Survival suit overboard
Our Barnacle Bill