The FVCornelia Marie is one of the commercial crab fishing boats featured on the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch. The boat was formerly owned by Cornelia Marie Devlin and prior to his death, Phil Harris. Phil's son, Josh Harris purchased the boat and began fishing with it during the 2014 Opilio Crab season. The FV Cornelia Marie returned to the Discovery Channel's program "Deadliest Catch" in the 8th episode of the 10th season. Her current home port is Kodiak, Alaska. In early 2015, the Cornelia Marie had a 50% stake sold to two new owners, who repowered the boat with new diesels and repaired her structure.
History
The Cornelia Marie was built in 1989 in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, on commission from original owner Ralph Collins; she was one of the last boats built by Horton Boats. Named after Ralph's wife, co-owner Cornelia Marie Collins, the boat is 128 feet long, 28 feet wide, and carries of fuel and of fresh water. The Cornelia Marie fishes for King, and opiliocrab, and also does salmon and herring tendering. It features an aquamarine and white paint scheme with yellow banners bearing the ship's name. Ralph and Cornelia Marie divorced; she took ownership of the boat. She eventually sold a partial share to captain Phil Harris. His share is currently in possession of his estate. The ship was seen in background footage for the two pilots of the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch. It was selected for a camera crew for Season 1, in the 2005 opilio crab season, as partner vessel of featured vessel F/V Maverick. The ship took part in the rescue efforts for the Big Valley, which sunk on the first day of the opilio crab season off Saint Paul Island, losing all but one crewmember. It became a featured vessel beginning in the second season, joining the F/V Maverick, F/V Northwestern and Time Bandit, and later Wizard.
suffered a stroke on January 29, 2010, while in port off-loading at Saint Paul Island, Alaska and subsequently died on February 9 from a pulmonary embolism. Alaskan songwriter Britt Arnesen wrote a eulogy-in-song for Capt. Harris, released on the Cornelia Marie website.
Post-Harris era
Derrick Ray finished the remaining opilio season after the death of Phil Harris. Jim Wilson skippered the Cornelia Marie for their 2010 spring and summer tendering contracts. He was among those being considered to run the boat for the rest of the 2010 opilio crab season before Derrick Ray was selected. The FV Cornelia Marie participated in the 2010 king crab season with the same crew from the latter half of the 2010 opilio season. Before the king crab season started, the crew of the Cornelia Marie spread Phil Harris's ashes in the Bering Sea. The ship had a crew change for the 2011 opilio season, including the replacement of skipper Derrick Ray with Tony Lara. The Cornelia Marie returned for Season 7 of Deadliest Catch. The FV Cornelia Marie returned to Kodiak, Alaska, in late October 2011, under the command of Capt. Tony Lara, following a spell in dry dock to undergo maintenance and to be repainted. The Cornelia Marie, while still fishing under the classification of a "Trawler", was not featured on Season 8 of Deadliest Catch. Josh Harris was featured as a crew member on the FV Time Bandit and Jake Harris was featured as a crew member on the F/V Northwestern. The Cornelia Marie was shown tied-up and unpowered in Kodiak, Alaska, in the Season 9 Opener for Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. The vessel was filmed in October 2012. In March 2013, Captain Hillstrand announced during the taping of the Artie Lange Show that Josh Harris bought the Cornelia Marie. On April 25, 2013 Josh Harris confirmed in an interview on Rock 105.3 "The Show" in San Diego, California that he has bought the Cornelia Marie. On September 13, 2013, Harris announced on his personal Facebook page that the Cornelia Marie was not optioned by the Discovery Channel for Season 10 of Deadliest Catch. The Deadliest Catch FV Cornelia Marie Facebook Page announced on March 14, 2014, that while the Cornelia Marie will not be on the king crab episodes; she will be on for opilio. Eventually she ended up being on the show for the 2014 king crab season. On August 8, 2015, Tony Lara died from a heart attack in Sturgis, South Dakota. On October 14, 2016, Josh Harris announced the boat is no longer on the show. As of the end of 2017, it was announced that the boat will be returning for season 14 of Deadliest Catch. A Deadliest Catch special titled Casey And The New Cornelia Marie premiered on April 11, 2020; showcased the upgrades that Captain Casey McManus, and boat-owner and Captain Josh Harris did during the 2019 offseason to the Cornelia Marie. Which included a new updated wheelhouse with new radar systems, renovations to the state rooms, new rudder controls, and changes to the propellers of the boat to make her faster.
