Overview

John Franklin Courage was a 56-year-old commercial fisherman who disappeared from Unalaska, Alaska, at the end of December 2010. More than 15 years later, his whereabouts remain unknown. Courage is still listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and in Alaska’s missing-person records. His NamUs case number is MP66998, while the Unalaska Police Department case number is 11-000020.

Courage was working aboard the F/V Alaska Trojan, which was moored at the Crowley Dock in Unalaska. Contemporary reporting from KUCB said he had been assigned to conduct boat watch while waiting for the rest of the crew to return. When crew members arrived on December 30, 2010, Courage could not be found. His personal possessions, including his wallet and identification, remained in a stateroom aboard the vessel.

Detailed Case Breakdown

John Franklin Courage Missing Person Case: Fisherman Vanished in Unalaska, Alaska, in 2010

John Franklin Courage was a 56-year-old commercial fisherman who disappeared from Unalaska, Alaska, at the end of December 2010. More than 15 years later, his whereabouts remain unknown. Courage is still listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and in Alaska’s missing-person records. His NamUs case number is MP66998, while the Unalaska Police Department case number is 11-000020.

Courage was working aboard the F/V Alaska Trojan, which was moored at the Crowley Dock in Unalaska. Contemporary reporting from KUCB said he had been assigned to conduct boat watch while waiting for the rest of the crew to return. When crew members arrived on December 30, 2010, Courage could not be found. His personal possessions, including his wallet and identification, remained in a stateroom aboard the vessel.

The Last Known Sightings of John Courage

The currently available NamUs information states that Courage was last seen on the night of December 29 into December 30, 2010, at the UniSea Harbor View Bar in Unalaska and that he never returned to the F/V Alaska Trojan. CaseTrace and Uncovered reproduce the same information from NamUs.

There is, however, an important discrepancy in the historical record. KUCB’s January and February 2011 reports, which were published while the original search was underway, stated that Courage’s last known location was the Alaska Ship Supply liquor store. KUCB reported that he was wearing a red shirt, black jacket and jeans.

The difference between the current NamUs account and the contemporary local reporting does not necessarily mean that either source is incorrect. It may reflect additional witness information, a difference in how investigators defined the last confirmed sighting, or later updates to the official case file. No publicly available source located for this review explains the discrepancy.

A Missing Survival Suit Becomes an Important Clue

Several days after Courage disappeared, Captain Ray Flerchinger requested a welfare check. On January 2, 2011, authorities were informed that a survival suit was also missing from the Alaska Trojan. The suit was subsequently found floating in the Iliuliuk South Channel, more than a mile from where the fishing vessel had been moored.

The discovery raised obvious questions about whether Courage might have entered the water, but investigators did not publicly establish that Courage had actually been wearing the suit. The recovery of the suit therefore provided investigators with a potentially significant clue but did not establish what happened to him. KUCB later reported that authorities were considering more than one possible explanation for his disappearance.

Search Efforts Expand Across Unalaska

The search for John Courage involved local, state and federal resources. The Unalaska Department of Public Safety worked with the Alaska State Troopers and U.S. Coast Guard as investigators attempted to determine whether Courage was still in the area or had left aboard another vessel. The Coast Guard broadcast information about him to fishing vessels operating nearby, and troopers were asked to watch for him during patrols.

Divers searched waters around the Crowley Dock and Captains Bay, close to where the Alaska Trojan had been moored. Authorities contacted crab and longline vessels to determine whether Courage might have taken another fishing job without informing the Alaska Trojan’s crew.

By late January 2011, investigators had expanded the physical search. Unalaska public safety officials and Alaska State Troopers conducted a perimeter search of Captains Bay and Little South America, while divers continued searching near Crowley Dock. Police also interviewed people who knew Courage and looked for evidence that he had contacted anyone after disappearing.

Despite those efforts, investigators were unable to locate Courage.

Investigators Exhaust Their Leads

Seven weeks after Courage vanished, the Unalaska Department of Public Safety downgraded the investigation to inactive status. KUCB reported on February 17, 2011, that investigators had interviewed numerous people, contacted local businesses, checked with boats and considered whether Courage might have departed through the airport. None of those inquiries produced evidence explaining where he went.

Authorities emphasized at the time that the inactive designation did not permanently close the case. Police said the investigation could be returned to active status if new information about Courage’s whereabouts became available.

No remains have been publicly identified as Courage’s, and no publicly documented evidence establishes that he was the victim of a homicide. His disappearance should therefore continue to be described as an unresolved missing-person case, rather than an unsolved murder.

Physical Description

Courage was 56 years old when he disappeared. Public case information describes him as a white male approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing approximately 190 to 220 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Contemporary reporting said he was last known to be wearing a red shirt, black jacket and jeans.

Latest Publicly Available Investigation Information

As of August 2026, John Franklin Courage remains listed in NamUs under MP66998, and the State of Alaska’s missing-person dataset continues to list John Courage with the Unalaska Police Department under agency case 11-000020 and a missing date of December 30, 2010.

A Crime Solvers Central case review published in May 2025 reported that Courage remained missing and that no new publicly reported leads or developments had emerged. No later official announcement located for this review reports that he has been found or that authorities have determined what happened to him.

The publicly documented investigation therefore remains centered on the same unanswered questions present in 2011: what happened after Courage’s final known movements in Unalaska, why his survival suit ended up in the Iliuliuk South Channel, and whether he left the area voluntarily, suffered an accident, or encountered circumstances that have never been uncovered.

Anyone with information should contact the Unalaska Police Department at (907) 581-1233 and reference case 11-000020. The department operates 24 hours a day.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: December 29–30, 2010, Unalaska, Alaska. Current NamUs-derived records identify the UniSea Harbor View Bar as the last-seen location, while contemporary KUCB reports identified Alaska Ship Supply as his last known location.

Circumstances: Courage was conducting boat watch aboard the F/V Alaska Trojan. When the crew returned, he was gone, but his wallet, identification and other belongings remained aboard. A survival suit missing from the vessel was later recovered floating in the Iliuliuk South Channel. Divers, local police, Alaska State Troopers and the Coast Guard participated in search efforts, but no confirmed trace of Courage was found. Investigators exhausted their known leads in early 2011, although the case remains listed in state and national missing-person databases.