JUNEAU, Alaska — Searchers today headed to the site where two fisherman were missing after their vessel sank in frigid and storm waters off Alaska.

Five other crew members died and four were rescued.

A C-130 airplane and a Jayhawk helicopter were dispatched to search for the men still missing from the sinking of the Katmai, which sent a distress signal around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The aircraft were to arrive by mid-morning.

Coast Guard rescuers pulled the survivors from a life raft about 15 hours after the distress call. They were rescued in 43-degree water near the Amchitka Pass, which links the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean about 1,400 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The crew's survival suits, physical condition and their efforts to keep one another semi-warm and awake all could have helped them endure, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read.

"They were in good spirits and in good shape," Read said. "They asked to stay, so they could continue to help with the search."

It wasn't clear what happened to the 93-foot Katmai. The Coast Guard received an e-mail from another boat saying the Katmai had lost steering and was taking on water, Read said.

One of the bodies found was recovered by a fishing vessel that helped the Coast Guard with the search.

The Coast Guard reported 10- to 15-foot seas in the area, with winds from the north at 34 mph. The area had a mix of rain and snow.

The Katmai was carrying a load of cod and heading toward Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, Read said. Dutch Harbor is 800 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The ship is owned by Seattle-based Katmai Fisheries. Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeBell told The Associated Press on Thursday that the company, which owns just the one ship, was working with the families to help them deal with the situation.

The company has not yet released the names of the crew. DeBell said most were from Washington, with the remainder from Oregon and Alaska.

DeBell said the captain, identified by his brother as 40-year-old Henry Blake, is among the survivors.