ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The captain and chief engineer of a Seattle-based fishing vessel that sank in high seas off Alaska's Aleutian Islands were among four who died in the tragedy, the owner of the vessel said.

The dead were among 47 crew members who abandoned ship after the 184-foot Alaska Ranger developed problems. Forty-two crew members were recovered safely, but a search was continuing for a missing person, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Barry Lane.

The dead were identified as the captain, Eric Peter Jacobsen; the chief engineer, Daniel Cook; the mate, David Silveira and a crew member, Byron Carrillo. Ages and hometowns of the men were not released.

"They were incredibly brave, hard-working men," the vessel's owner, The Fishing Company of Alaska, said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. "Our hearts are broken."

The name of the missing crew member was not released.

The vessel started taking on water shortly before 3 a.m. after losing control of its rudder 120 miles west of Dutch Harbor, which is on Unalaska Island. Seas with up to 8-foot waves and 25-knot winds were reported at the time of the sinking, Lane said. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the accident, he said.

Several Coast Guard aircraft rushed to the area after receiving a mayday call from the crew reporting water flooding the rudder room.

"When we got on scene there was a spread, at least a mile long, of 13 survivors in gumby suits with strobe lights," said O'Brien Hollow, a coast gaurdsman who was on one of the helicopters. "I went down without disconnecting from the helicopter and picked them up one at a time."

Many of the Alaska Ranger's crew members are believed to live in the Seattle area, and some of their families are already starting to leave flowers at Seattle's Fishing Terminal Memorial.

Among those leaving flowers Sunday was Amy Roman, whose uncle, Daniel Cook, was one of the crew members who died when the Alaska Ranger went down.

"Ultimately he died how he wanted to," she said. "If you're a true fisherman, this is how you want to go."

Roman knows about the dangers faced every day by those who fish the cold, unpredictable waters off the Alaskan coast.

"My whole family is in the fishing industry... It's what they do," she said.

Alaska environmental regulators were notified that the ship was carrying 145,000 gallons of diesel when it sank in deep seas, according to Leslie Pearson, emergency response manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

An oil sheen covered an area of a quarter mile by a half mile, Coast Guard spokesman Ray Dwyer said. Because of the strong winds, however, any cleanup effort is unlikely, although those conditions would disperse a spill much more quickly than calm weather, Pearson said.

Some of those on board the Alaska Ranger were heading to Dutch Harbor in a Coast Guard cutter and the sunken vessel's sister ship, the Alaska Warrior. The vessel took part in the rescue operation along with two Coast Guard helicopters that were used to pluck crew members from life rafts, Lane said.

Other survivors were on board the Coast Guard cutter Munro, which remained at the scene along with a C-130 aircraft to search for the missing crew member.

Coast Guard Lt. Eric Eggan said it was unknown how or when the four died.

Chuck Harvey, a harbor officer on duty in Dutch Harbor, said his office was notified by the Coast Guard to clear a dock for its arrival, expected around 11 p.m. EDT Sunday.

The Coast Guard also told harbor officials to have an ambulance ready, but didn't specify the degree or nature of any injuries, Harvey said.

"I figure there's quite a bit of hypothermia going on," he said.

The Alaska Ranger is owned by Seattle-based Fishing Company of Alaska.

In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, the company said of the four dead crew members: "Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones. We are now concentrating on rescue efforts and are doing our best to obtain accurate information to provide family members.

"We do not have sufficient information to determine why the vessel foundered. We will do everything possible to find out what occurred with the hope that something can be learned that will beo f value to our fishing community."

Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said the company had sent an insurance adjuster to Dutch Harbor, who was expected to arrive Sunday afternoon.

In December, an engine fire damaged another of the company's ships, the Alaska Patriot, while it was docked near Dutch Harbor. No one was injured in the blaze.