The United States Coast Guard says that a fishing vessel, which originally had six crew members onboard before going missing early this year, has been found.

Two ships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were performing "scientific missions" in Alaskan waters when they helped locate the missing ship 'Destination,' last seen in February of 2017. The boat was originally fishing for snow crab near Saint George.

Officials with the Coast Guard 17th District received an emergency position indicating radio beacon alert from F/V Destination. Shortly after, Kodiak aircrews were deployed to start the search.

When the search was suspended, Rear Adm. Michael McAllister, Coast Guard 17th District commander, said, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the six crew members during this extremely difficult time.”

Now, there may be some closure for those families, as the NOAA ships used an echo sounder and multibeam sonar to positively locate the Destination under approximately 250 feet of water.

The next step for the Coast Guard is to deploy dive teams to investigate the wreckage later this month. The footage obtained in the investigation will be used at the Marine Board inquiry, debriefing the public on what actually happened on the vessel. That public hearing is scheduled to begin on August 7 in Seattle.

“The Marine Board appreciates NOAA’s help in locating the wreckage of the F/V Destination,” said Commander Scott Muller, U.S. Coast Guard, chairman of the Marine Board of Investigation. “The vessel location is an instrumental piece of our investigation. We have a long partnership with NOAA to support the safety of those on the sea and appreciate their assistance in this and past investigations.”

The original search focused on an area about two miles off the coast of St. George Island. Because of currents, that search area has stretched as far as 80 miles southwest of the island.

While the ship has been located at the bottom of the sea floor, no bodies belonging to the six originally missing aboard it have been found at this time.