The investigation was planned for June 30, 2020, aboard the USCGC Sitkinak, operating out of at Portland, Maine. The Sitkinak is a 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boat with a travel time to the destination of about 3 hours. The weather was heavy overcast with misty rain and winds from the NE at 10-12 miles per hour. Sea conditions were reported to be 2-3 feet in the vicinity of the sinking.

As you can see in this file photo, Sitkinak was outfitted with a canopy over the fantail which provided some cover over the location chosen for the ROV operating station.

After arriving on-site, a work safety assessment was conducted by the Executive Officer (XO) of the Sitkinak, and the ROV was set up and made ready for deployment.