The Wizard's Boat: A Deadliest Catch Vessel

The Wizard is a crab fishing boat that appears on the Discovery Channel's TV show Deadliest Catch. It is one of the biggest crab fishing boats in the fleet and is captained by Keith Colburn. The Wizard was built by the U.S. Navy in 1945 as a fuel oil barge designated YO-210 for service during World War II. After the war ended, the Navy sold the barge in 1974 and it was eventually converted into a fishing vessel in 1978. The Wizard is 155 feet long and 30 feet wide, and when fully loaded with live crabs, it weighs a staggering two million pounds.

The Wizard is one of the biggest crab fishing boats

The Wizard's size and sturdy construction have likely contributed to its success as a crab fishing boat. It has been featured on the Discovery Channel's TV show "Deadliest Catch," providing viewers with a glimpse into the dangerous and demanding world of crab fishing in Alaska. The boat's captain, Keith Colburn, has been part of the show since Season 3 and is known for his volatile temper and loud outbursts.

The Wizard has faced several challenges and emergencies over the years, including a massive wave that blew out windows and flooded the interior, and a fire that nearly took the life of a deckhand. Despite these incidents, the boat remains in operation, and Colburn continues to brave the elements in pursuit of crab fishing success.

The Wizard's crew consists of several experienced individuals, including Colburn's brother Monte, who serves as relief captain or mate. Other key crew members include Gary, a full-time professional crabber and the deck boss and first mate; Lenny, a Native American-Russian Aleut with deep roots in the Unalaska region; and Kevin, an ambitious young deckhand with experience in other fisheries. Together, they work tirelessly to navigate the dangers of the Bering Sea and bring in a successful crab harvest.

The Wizard's size, history, and the dedication of its crew have made it a notable presence on the "Deadliest Catch" show and in the crab fishing industry as a whole.

It was originally built for the US Navy

The F/V Wizard is a crab fishing boat that appears on the Discovery Channel's TV show Deadliest Catch. It is currently captained by Keith Colburn, who co-owns the vessel with his wife. Colburn has been part of the show since its third season and has worked on the Wizard since 1988, when he joined as a full-share deckhand.

The Wizard was originally built for the US Navy. Built in 1945, at the end of World War II, the Wizard was a YO-153 Class Fuel Oil Barge, designated YO-210, designed to refuel ships at sea. It was sold by the Navy in March 1974, and in 1978, it was bought by John Jorgensen, who outfitted it to be used for crab fishing on the Bering Sea.

The Wizard is well-suited to the task of crab fishing, with a large capacity for storing live crabs. According to Colburn, the boat's military design gives it a "propensity for going through waves and being quite ornery, as opposed to going up and over waves". The boat's sturdiness is an advantage when braving the Bering Sea, where the crab fishing boats tend to be larger than average due to the challenging conditions.

The Wizard is 155 feet long, 30 feet wide, and weighs 371 tons (750,000 pounds). When its four live crab holding tanks are full, the boat's weight is an astonishing two million pounds. This makes it the second-largest crab fishing vessel in the Bering Sea fleet, with only the Fierce Allegiance being larger.

The Wizard has had a few notable incidents in recent years, including a fire in 2024 that nearly took the life of a deckhand, and an incident in 2021 where it was hit by a massive wave, blowing out windows and flooding the interior.

It was sold by the Navy in 1974

The Wizard, a vessel featured on the Discovery Channel's TV show "Deadliest Catch", is a crab fishing boat. It was built by the US Navy in 1945 as a fuel oil barge designated YO-210 for service during World War II. After the war ended, the Navy no longer needed these types of vessels and sold YO-210 in March 1974.

Following its sale by the Navy, the vessel was decommissioned and tied up in Boston Harbour until 1 September 1974. It was then sold to a private party and used to haul molasses for eight months. This new role was short-lived, however, and the vessel soon changed hands again.

The ship was purchased by John Jorgensen in 1978 and converted into a crab fishing vessel at Bender Shipbuilding in Mobile, Alabama. The conversion process involved removing two of the eight oil tanks to increase the size of the engine room and adding a bow thruster. The remaining tanks were repurposed: four were used as live holding tanks for crab, and the other two forward tanks were used for dry storage and a refrigerated seawater unit.

The Wizard began fishing for crab in 1979 during the "King Crab Heyday" of the late 1970s. It primarily targeted Bairdi crab (also known as Tanner crab) and the fledgling Opilio crab (or snow crab) throughout the 1980s. In the late 1980s, the King crab population recovered, and the Opilio crab population boomed. During this time, the Wizard was routinely one of the top 10 crab producers in the Bering Sea.

In 2005, John Jorgensen sold the vessel to Keith Colburn, who gave it a new paint job. Colburn has been the captain of the Wizard ever since, navigating the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea and facing challenges such as massive waves that have caused significant damage to the boat.

It was bought by John Jorgensen in 1978

The F/V Wizard is a crab fishing boat that was featured on the Discovery Channel's TV show Deadliest Catch. It was originally built in 1945 as a US Navy yard oiler, specifically a YO-153 Class Fuel Oil Barge, designated YO-210. It was designed to refuel ships at sea during World War II. After the war, the Navy sold the barge in March 1974.

In 1978, it was bought by John Jorgensen, who transformed it into a crab fishing vessel. Jorgensen outfitted the boat for crab fishing on the Bering Sea, removing two of the eight tanks to create extra engine room and converting the remaining tanks for storing crab and dry storage. The Wizard was one of the top 10 crab producers in the late 1980s.

Before John Jorgensen purchased it, the Wizard had a brief stint as a molasses hauler and spent a few years docked in Boston. It was Jorgensen who gave the boat new life as a crab fishing vessel.

John Jorgensen was a third-generation crab fisherman, with his father and grandfather emigrating from Norway. He owned the Wizard from 1978 until 2005, when he sold it to Keith Colburn, who has captained the boat on Deadliest Catch. Jorgensen was initially against the idea of having the Wizard featured on TV, preferring to keep the boat camera-free to avoid distractions and liabilities. However, after selling the boat to Colburn, he gave him the instruction to "tune out the rest of the fleet."

It was sold to Keith Colburn in 2005

The F/V Wizard is a crab fishing boat that has been featured on the Discovery Channel's TV show Deadliest Catch since its third season. The boat was originally built for the United States Navy in 1945 as a fuel oil barge designated YO-210 for service during World War II. After the war ended, the Navy sold the barge in March 1974. It changed hands a few times before it was bought by John Jorgensen in 1978, who outfitted it to be used for crab fishing on the Bering Sea.

In 2005, the boat was sold to Keith Colburn, who had been working as part of the crew since 1988. Colburn and his wife purchased the vessel after the fleet downsized in 2005 from 250 crabbers to 80 under a new Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system. Colburn gave the boat a new paint job, and it has since become one of the biggest crab fishing boats in the fleet.

The Wizard is one of the largest crab fishing boats on the Bering Sea, measuring 155 feet long, 30 feet wide, and drawing 13 feet. It boasts one of the largest capacities for King and Opilio crab, with four of its original eight tanks now used for storing live crabs. The boat's military design gives it a unique ability to go through waves rather than up and over them, making it well-suited for navigating the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea.

Captain Colburn's expertise and experience in the fishing industry have been showcased on Deadliest Catch, where he has been a constant presence since its third season. However, he has also faced challenges, including volatile outbursts, medical emergencies, and a terrifying fire that nearly took the life of a deckhand. Despite these difficulties, Colburn has continued to successfully navigate and fish the waters of the Bering Sea with the Wizard.

Frequently asked questions