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‘Deadliest Catch’ Returns With A New Captain And A Life-Threatening Emergency At Sea

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 07:46 PST, Mar 28, 2016

At times there can be plenty of high drama and danger on the high seas. The brave Deadliest Catch captains return to the Bering Sea, battling harsh weather conditions and raging seas in order to fill their boats and meet their quota of crab. This season on Deadliest Catch, there’s a new captain at the helm of the F/V Brenna A, as 24-year-old Sean Dwyer joins the fleet.

Deadliest Catch posted to their Facebook page recently that Sean Dwyer is the youngest captain in the fleet this season. Dwyer has been a commercial fisherman since he was a kid, and worked alongside his father, Pat. After earning a degree in Diesel Engine Maintenance, he spent three years as engineer on the Jennifer A, the sister ship to Brenna A. He learned everything he could with the goal that some day he would captain his own boat, and now that dream has come to fruition.

Now with his own boat and crew, which he nicknamed “the Lost Boys,” Deadliest Catch viewers can watch as Dwyer works to fulfill his father’s dying wish that he return the Brenna A back to the crabbing grounds. A firm, but even-handed leader, this new Deadliest Catch captain and his misfit crew hope to meet their quota and stuff the Brenna A with as much crab as they can hold.

Captain Sig Hansen of the F/V Northwestern reaches out and presents Dwyer with an intriguing offer. A sneak-peek Deadliest Catch clip shows Hansen offering the young captain a chance to catch approximately 200,000 pounds of bairdi crab for him. He is offering Dwyer a golden opportunity, but if he agrees to Hansen’s proposition, he will have to change up his fishing plans for the entire season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joDphpBQQdw

One reason he makes Dwyer the offer is that Hansen has had his hands full during this Deadliest Catch season. Besides dealing with the usual ups and downs of crab fishing, the bow of the Northwestern was damaged during a severe storm and while his daughter, Mandy, was on board, there was an electrical fire to contend with. All of the added stress and pressure finally caught up to him and on March 2, with a film crew on hand, the 49-year-old Hansen suffered a heart attack.

TMZ shared that Hansen and his crew were at sea when he experienced sharp pain in his chest and briefly passed out. Even though the Deadliest Catch captain tried to brush it off, the production crew insisted he get immediate medical attention and he was airlifted to Dutch Harbor. Eventually he was medevaced to Providence Medical Center Alaska in Anchorage for treatment. Yahoo! TV noted that he is recovering well, and Hansen believes that the incident will most likely be shown on an episode of Deadliest Catch.

For those unfamiliar with this highly rated, extremely popular series, Deadliest Catch portrays just how dangerous crab fishing can be for the captains and their crews as they work aboard their fishing vessels. During the Deadliest Catch crab season, these fearless men and women often risk their lives on the Bering Sea as they chase after the elusive Alaskan king crab, snow crab, and bairdi crab. They must find the strength and endurance to pull hundreds of crab pots from the raging seas while battling freezing winds, ice, sleet and snow.

For Season 12 of Deadliest Catch, besides Hansen and Dwyer, the show will feature the rest of the returning veteran captains as well as the two newest skippers. New captain Jake Anderson will be back running the Saga, with Josh Harris returning to the Cornelia Marie.

Deadliest Catch co-captains and brothers, Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, will be returning on the Time Bandit. They have a tight-knit crew, and are known for their hilarious pranks and antics. Last season on Deadliest Catch, they pulled off their biggest prank yet when they “stole” Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski’s boat, the Cape Caution. Fortunately for them, he took it well, and then persuaded them to prank his son, Zack Larson, as well.

Captain Keith Colburn returns for another season of Deadliest Catch aboard the Wizard along with his brother, Monte “Mouse” Colburn. He runs a tight ship, but his crew is one of the best in the fleet. Last season while Monte was running the Wizard, fan favorite Freddy Maugatai refused to get on the boat and Monte was forced to fire him. This season on Deadliest Catch he returns not to the Wizard, but to the Time Bandit. The Hillstrand’s are very pleased with not only his work ethic, but how he has boosted the morale of the entire crew.

Captain Bill Wichrowski skippers the Cape Caution and practices “tough love” on his crew, demanding that they do their very best and work hard. Known as a bit of a maverick in the past, as Wichrowski ages he does have the future in mind, as he thinks about who he will someday choose to captain the Cape Caution. As his son, Zack, continues to shoulder more responsibility, he will have to prove to his father that he is the one who is the best choice to eventually take over the boat.

Are you a fan of Deadliest Catch? Leave your comments, thoughts and opinions below. The Deadliest Catch two-hour premiere airs on Tuesday, March 29, at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery.

[Image via Deadliest Catch/Facebook]

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