The Deadliest Catch boats are as big a symbol of the Discovery Channel reality series as the oversized Alaskan king crab and snow crab they hunt for in the blistering Bering Sea. While there are some parts of Deadliest Catch that are faked in the way Discovery reality series often are, those are real boats out on the freezing and tumultuous North Atlantic Ocean, weighing upwards of 370 tons. The sight of one of these behemoth and industrial, but somehow nostalgic, ships blasting through ocean spray as gulls soar overhead is a defining shot of the series.
Names like Northwestern, Seabrooke, and Wizard are as tied to the show as Sig Hansen, Phil Harris, and Keith Colburn. With F/V as a prefix (“Fishing Vessel”), the boats on Deadliest Catch set out from Alaskan harbors in the October king crab and January opilio crab (snow crab) seasons. Narrated by Mike Rowe, Deadliest Catch has been on the air since 2005, outlasting many similar Discovery Channel shows that have been forgotten over the years. The crabbing vessels are one of the most impressive aspects of the show: a filming set, home, and source of danger.
The F/V Arctic Dawn may not be the most well known ship on Deadliest Catch, but it still deserves a special mention due to the fact that it was one of the few vessels featured in the three-part pilot miniseries America’s Deadliest Season. Without Thom Beers’ decision to follow the Arctic Dawn with a film crew during the 2003-2004 crab season, Deadliest Catch may never have existed as a show.
F/V Arctic Dawn never returned to Deadliest Catch, but it remains an important part of the show’s history. Unfortunately, it’s also a ship that’s been plagued with misfortune since the show itself aired. After being retired from fishing crab in 2005, and taking a complete break in 2009, F/V Arctic Dawn caught fire while moored in the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 2010 (via gcaptain). This wasn’t the end of the ships’ troubles, however, as former captain Clarence “Ole” Helgevod, who was featured in the Deadliest Catch pilot, was charged with a DUI and manslaughter in Alaska in 2017 (via Los Angeles Daily News)
F/V Kodiak
F/V Kodiak is one of the shortest-lived boats on Deadliest Catch among those that appeared in more than one season, having only been featured during the shows’ midpoint from season 6 to season 8. Built in 1978 and named after its town of origin, Alaska’s Kodiak, F/V Kodiak is 111ft in length, and remains one of the weaker Deadliest Catch ships. While it was piloted by Wild Bill Wichrowski, one of the most entertaining captains in Deadliest Catch, the skipper moved on to the F/V Cape Caution in season 9, and the Kodiak was never seen in the show again.
Still, while it’s not one of the most memorable Deadliest Catch vessels by the 2020s, it was eagerly anticipated when it arrived in 2010’s season 6. Much like the F/V Arctic Dawn, the F/V Kodiak is worth remembering when it comes to the wider history of the show and the wealth of vessels featured in all 19 seasons so far, as it was a talking point for fans when it debuted.
F/V Billikin
There have been many ships in the history of Deadliest Catch that left after either a single or handful of seasons, only to later return with a new captain at a later point in the show’s run. However, few had such a lengthy leave of absence as F/V Billikin. Built in 1973 in Seattle, the Billikin is a 132ft scooner that was first introduced to Deadliest Catch viewers all the way back in 2005’s season 1. It was then captained by Jeff Weeks, though both he and F/V Billikin didn’t return for Deadliest Catch season 2.
However, 17 years later, F/V Billikin returned in Deadliest Catch season 18. By this point, of course, the Discovery series was a markedly different show, with plenty of years to polish its formula and find what truly worked (which also a key reason for the show has managed to remain on air for almost 20 years). When F/V Billikin was seen again, it was Steve “Harley” Davidson at the helm. Sadly for this blast from Deadliest Catch’s past, Davidson wouldn’t carry the Billikin with him into season 19, and instead was co-captain of the F/V Barbara J alongside Jack Bunnell.
F/V Lady Alaska
While it didn’t take quite as long a break as F/V Billikin, the grandly named F/V Lady Alaska is another Deadliest Catch ship that most fans thought retired on the show after the first season, and were surprised to see it return over a decade later. During Deadliest Catch season 1, F/V Lady Alaska had captain Peter Liske at the helm, though like Jeff Weeks of the F/V Billikin, Liske didn’t return to the show after its debut outing in 2005.
Fast-forward to 2020, and Deadliest Catch once again followed the F/V Lady Alaska as the ship and its crew braved the waves of the Bering Sea in search of elusive yet lucrative hauls of crab. During F/V Lady Alaska’s second stint on Deadliest Catch, it was helmed by none other than show veteran Scott Campbell Jr., a regular from seasons 7-10.
F/V Cape Caution
F/V Cape Caution may be more remembered for its captain, “Wild” Bill Wichrowski, but it deserves consideration among all the Deadliest Catch ships due to its prominence between seasons 9 and 12 (2013 to 2016). Bill Wichrowski has always been a fan-favorite when it comes to Deadliest Catch captains, and because of this, the Cape Caution was considered by many to be one of the “main” vessels on the show before it was retired prior to season 13.
This was when Bill Wichrowski moved over to the F/V Summer Bay, and so Cape Caution hasn’t been seen since. He remains with Summer Bay as of Deadliest Catch season 19, and his second vessel has become tied much closer to the captain than his original. Also worthy of note is that, at just over 98 ft long, F/V Cape Caution was on the shorter side when it came to the ships on Deadliest Catch.
