David Hilts the son of Rodney and Sunni Hilts, died on February 22, 1987 at sea.
Andy Anderson describes the tragedy:
On February 22, 1987, while setting king crab pots off of Augustine Island in Kamashak Bay area, David was swept overboard by a rogue wave. He was fishing on the 100-foot fishing vessel F/V Alliance and the weather was inclement. The Alliance was a 100-foot king crab fishing vessel, that regularly fished in that type of weather. The wave that washed David overboard also damaged crab pots that were on the deck, ripped a crab pot out of the launch rack from the hydraulic dogs locking it down and washed another deckhand off his feet, pushing him under the launch rack. The first sighting of David was when he was seen approximately 100 yards off the starboard stern of the vessel. All attempts to rescue him were unsuccessful. He disappeared beneath the vessel’s bow and was then seen sinking beneath the water. The Alliance crew searched for many hours, returned to Seldovia and notified the Coast Guard, which conducted a thorough search for several days. Later, local residents continued the search, hoping to bring a sense of closure. The family was given permission by the city of Seldovia to erect a memorial in honor of David at the Outside Beach park. On a knoll overlooking Kachemak Bay, Lower Cook Inlet, and the Kamashak Bay area, they built a bench for all of us to go to pay our respects.
Summarized from “Alaska Bush Cop: The Beginning” by Andy Anderson, 2019.