Who was in charge of the Alaska Ranger?

Satoshi Konno was a fishmaster aboard the Alaska Ranger, a representative of Japanese fish buyers who assisted in filling the holds with yellowfin sole and other seafood. In sworn testimony Wednesday, former crew portrayed Konno as a powerful figure who would take the wheelhouse controls, pushing the vessel's pace through Bering Sea ice.

On one occasion in mid-February, the fishmaster's speed through ice angered the American skipper, who confronted Konno on the steps leading up to the wheelhouse, according to a crewman's testimony.

"They were yelling and screaming at each other about going fast through the ice. It ended up with them chest to chest, huffing and puffing at each other," said Ryan Shuck, who said he overheard the argument that resulted in the vessel slowing down.

On March 23, the Alaska Ranger sank in the Bering Sea, a disaster that killed Konno and four others among the 47 crew who worked aboard this factory trawler operated by Seattle-based Fishing Company of Alaska.

In a second day of Coast Guard hearings in Seattle, investigators heard testimony about the pecking order aboard the Alaska Ranger during the winter months leading up to the accident, when an unusual amount of ice had formed in the fishing grounds. In their questioning, Coast Guard officials also sought to get a better understanding of the size of the floating pans and blocks of ice, and whether they might have somehow weakened the vessel that ultimately sprung a major leak.

Shuck said that most of the time, the vessel traveled slowly through the ice. But on the night of the dispute, he said, the ship felt like a pinball as it bounced through the ice pans. He said skipper Steve Slotvig was concerned that the ice could damage the boat. After the vessel reached port, Slotvig left the Alaska Ranger and did not return to skipper the boat, Shuck said.

Jeremy Freitag, another crewman who testified Wednesday, said he repeatedly found empty cans of beer and liquor bottles in Konno's room. Drinking alcohol on board is a violation of the company's "zero tolerance" policy for alcohol.

Freitag also said that after going through the ice, he noticed a small amount of standing water in a below-deck area where he had not seen it before.

Both Freitag and Shuck have hired a maritime attorney, George Knowles, to sue for damages against the company. Knowles was beside them as they testified.

Slotvig is scheduled to testify later this week, and could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

John Neeleman, an attorney representing Fishing Company of Alaska, said Slotvig did not leave the vessel due to concerns about safety; he was tired and needed some time off before resuming duties on another company vessel.

Neeleman said Slotvig always retained command of the vessel, and noted that Shuck's testimony indicated that Konno backed off the speed after the dispute.

The question of who issued the orders is important because federal law requires a licensed skipper like Slotvig to retain command of factory trawlers like the Alaska Ranger. And company attorneys say that is what happened aboard the ship.

But another crewman testified Wednesday that the fishmasters on occasion overruled skippers aboard Fishing Company of Alaska vessels.

David Hull recalled an incident aboard one of the vessels when fresh-caught fish were fouled by hydraulic fuel that had leaked on deck. The Fishing Company of Alaska skipper ordered the fish dumped, but that angered the fishmaster, and they processed the tainted catch.

"The fishmaster basically runs the ship. That's how it stands," Hull testified.

This winter, Hull said, the fishmaster had nets dropped amid all this ice, and he submitted as evidence shipboard videos he took of the net coming aboard amid the ice. He also submitted video that he said depicted an assistant engineer notorious for drinking on board asleep on duty.

Company attorney Neeleman alleged that the crewman had tried to use the videos to extort money from the company, saying he offered to throw away the videos in exchange for a large insurance settlement.

Hull admitted he was unhappy with an initial settlement offer, but denied trying to extort money.

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com