An Overview Look at the Ships and Captains on the 'Deadliest Catch'
Just like the waters, the rotating cast of captains is quite turbulent, so don't feel bad if you're getting confused.
Published July 27 2024, 1:50 p.m. ET
The Deadliest Catch lore runs deep and keeping track of all the crew members isn't always easy. With 19 seasons of the show, they've racked up quite a few vessels run by plenty of different personalities.
The Discovery Channel show follows the captains as they lead teams to do some crab fishing on the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Each vessel hosts different captains each season and there are quite a number of vessels out there. Let's take a look at the rotating cast of experts by active vessels.
F/V Aleutian Lady
Rick Shelford was the captain for Aleutian Lady for Season 19 and Season 20. He first got into the catching game when he was 20 years old and brought his first vessel.
F/V Northwestern
Over the seasons, the Northwestern saw a handful of different management, including Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen, Mandy Hansen, and Jake Anderson. This particular vessel is extremely important as it is the only one to have appeared on every season of the show.
F/V Pacific Mariner
Season 20 saw Jack Bunnell and Steve "Harley" Davidson share captain duties on the Pacific Mariner. Jack was actually a last-minute addition to the show as an engineer at first. Steve's nickname came to be when too many others were named Steve on his ship, so he nabbed up the nickname Harley as a reference to the motorcycle.
F/V Seabrooke
The Seabrooke has had Scott Campbell Jr and Brad Petefish as captains. Plus, Greg Wallace and Sophia "Bob" Nielsen shared duties for a while. The vessel has been through quite a rotation of specialists.
F/V Summer Bay
"Wild" Bill Wichrowski and Linda Greenlaw shared responsibility for the Summer Bay on Season 20. However, Bill held down the boat alone in prior seasons, including 13–17, 18, and 20.
F/V Time Bandit
Working with family isn't always easy, but Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand made it work on the Time Bandit for Seasons 2–13 and 19. Johnathan paired up with Josh Harris for Season 17. Plus, Johnathan also had a brief time as captain of the vessel along for awhile.
F/V Titan Explorer
Season 20 saw Jake Anderson as the lone captain on Titan Explorer. He has been a part of the show since 2007, starting as the co-owner of the Saga which he lost due to a few legal issues.
F/V Wizard
Keith Colburn and Monte "Mouse" Colburn have passed the Wizard back and forth a few times. Keith's story is all about risk and adventure. He set out to Alaska with no real experience and climbed his way up to captain.
What happened to the old vessels on 'Deadliest Catch'?
The list of vessels on the show is quite lengthy. After all, the seas are not often kind or forgiving. Sometimes, the boats just need to be rotated out and other times there are more serious issues a foot.
As the show is called Deadliest Catch, it should come as no surprise that there is quite a bit of danger in the show. Many vessels have gone missing or taken the lives of their crew, including the captains.
Thankfully, sometimes the U.S. Coast Guard rescue squad is able to intervene and help out a bit. However, once a vessel is lost, sunk, or damaged, captains who survive will need to find a new ship to man.
