[4] On 31 December 2019, at approximately 22:00 Alaska Standard Time, the United States Coast Guard received a distress call from the crab fishing vessel Scandies Rose.

The route that Scandies Rose was following, close to the Aleutian Islands, is notorious for local katabatic winds caused by the unique geography, called williwaws.

When the course was altered to find shelter, the ship instead faced winds from the port side, worsening the list.

[3][5] Scandies Rose was a crab fishing vessel built in 1978 by Bender Shipbuilding in Mobile, Alabama.

The boat was considered a work of "extraordinary craftsmanship" in a 2019 inspection, with construction materials and design rivaling the finest fishing vessels from the west coast.

[5] The vessel took part in the United States Coast Guard's safety evaluation program in 2018, as it was mandatory biannually.

A crew member who previously worked on the Scandies Rose described it as a "tank", a nickname the vessel also went by, due to its ability to manage tough weather conditions.

[8] On 29 December 2019, the captain and crew of Scandies Rose began initial preparations of the ship for departure from "Cannery Row", a harbor in Kodiak, Alaska.

The National Weather Service's (NWS) marine forecasts were continuously received via Very high frequency.

Both of the survivors explained that despite initially being tired from working hard with preparing the boat the days before, once the vessel was out at sea they were able to sleep and felt rested.

Every time that a crew member had finished and transferred their allotted shift, they each went down to the engine room to ensure that the motor and auxiliary equipment were in good working order.

According to one of the survivors, the weather had gotten worse the night before, with strong winds and waves washing over the starboard bow of the vessel.

[5] At 08:00 on 31 December, the captain started his shift at the helm, and continued in a southwestern route of 240 degrees, with a speed of 8 knots.

Before the call was ended captain Cobban Jr. said that it was "very cold", that his vessel was experiencing light icing, and that the sea conditions were poor.