Capt. William A. Hokanson Sr.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m.Sunday, May 6, 1990 at the Seamen's Bethel for the Fairhaven father and son who were lost at sea aboard the Sol e Mar on March 25.

William A. "Hokey" Hokanson Sr., 44, of Fairhaven, was the son of Sallie (Bagge) Hokanson of Acushnet and the late Fritz H. Hokanson. He was born in New Bedford and lived in Carver and Acushnet until moving to Fairhaven twelve years ago.  He was formerly employed by Rolands Tire Service and Warren Bros. Construction.

Mr. Hokanson's first boat, the scalloper Scandia, worked out of Plymouth.  More recently, he and his son had been dragging with the Sol e Mar out of the ports of Boston, Martha's Vineyard and Fairhaven.

Mr. Hokanson  coached Fairhaven Youth Hockey from 1975 to 1980 and actively worked for inshore dragger rights with Massachusetts Inshore Draggermen's Association.

Mr. Hokanson Sr. is survived by his mother; a daughter, Cheryl Best of New Bedford; four brothers, Kenneth of Aiken, S.C., and Robert, Richard and Carl, all of Acushnet; and two grandchildren.

On March 25, 1990, as the Sol E Mar was sinking off Martha's Vineyard, the crew was able to send a four-second distress call to the Coast Guard. Ninety seconds later, the Coast Guard received a hoax call and decided that the first call was not genuine. Only when the boat was reported missing on March 29 did the Coast Guard begin its search. Volunteers searching for the wreck found it a month later.

As a result of the incident, the Studds Act changed the Coast Guard's policy regarding distress calls, imposed a federal criminal penalty for making hoax calls, and upgraded Coast Guard equipment and the National Distress System.