In the tranquil town of Hana on the Hawaiian island of Maui, a small motorboat named the Sarah Joe set sail on February 11, 1979, carrying five skilled fishermen: Peter Hanchett, Benjamin Kalama, Ralph Malaiakini, Scott Moorman, and Patrick Woessner. Little did they know that this would mark the beginning of a mysterious and tragic tale that continues to baffle investigators and haunt the families of the missing men.
The Fateful Day:
The day began with promise; the water was calm, the sky clear, and the men embarked on a day-long fishing trip on their seventeen-foot Boston whaler. However, by 1 PM, an unexpected storm swept in, signaling a turn of events. Concerned for their safety, Peter Hanchett’s father and others tried to spot the boat from the shoreline but were unsuccessful. As the storm intensified, the Sarah Joe vanished into the sea.
Search and Disappearance:
The community, U.S. Coast Guard, and marine biologist John Naughton initiated a search, but the Sarah Joe proved elusive. The boat’s color blended with the water, complicating search efforts. After five days, the official search was suspended, leaving behind a community gripped by grief and uncertainty.
A Bizarre Turn:
Nearly a decade later, in 1988, the case took an unexpected turn. John Naughton, the same marine biologist involved in the initial search, discovered the wreckage of the Sarah Joe on Taongi atoll in the Marshall Islands, over 2,000 miles west of Maui. The boat, identified by its Hawaii registry, was accompanied by a makeshift grave containing the remains of Scott Moorman.
Mysterious Clues:
The discovery raised more questions than answers. Dental records confirmed Scott Moorman‘s identity, but a peculiar find in the makeshift grave baffled investigators – a stack of small papers interleaved with tin foil. The purpose and origin of these papers remain a cryptic aspect of the case.
Conflicting Reports:
Confusion surrounds the boat’s journey from its disappearance in 1979 to its discovery in 1988. While it was suggested that the Sarah Joe could have drifted to the Marshall Islands in about three months, conflicting reports emerged about a U.S. Government survey in 1985 that allegedly found no trace of the boat on Taongi.
Private Investigation:
Families, desperate for answers, hired private investigator Steve Goodenow. His findings included a new set of Scott Moorman’s bones and the boat’s engines wedged underwater in coral near the original grave. Goodenow proposed a theory involving Chinese fishermen who, he believed, found Scott’s body, buried him, and refrained from reporting the incident due to illegal fishing activities.
Unresolved Mystery:
Decades later, the mystery of the Sarah Joe remains unresolved. Memorial plaques stand on Taongi atoll and in Hana Bay, commemorating the crew. The families continue to grapple with questions about the boat’s journey, the burial site, and the meaning behind the mysterious papers. The Sarah Joe, now weathered and faded, sits as a silent reminder of a tragic event that transcends time, leaving the families and the community longing for closure and answers to a decades-long enigma.