What Was Going Through Sig Hansen's Head When A Fire Broke Out On Deadliest Catch

No matter what job someone has, dealing with distractions that pull your concentration away is a common issue. While most are trying to avoid the person in the next cubicle who's trying to show you pictures of their cat, the fishermen on Discovery's "Deadliest Catch" need to deal with distractions that can actually lead to injuries or death. For the deckhands of these vessels, the focus on hauling in enough crab to get home in time is often derailed by massive rogue waves, swinging 700-pound pots, and the constant possibility of getting knocked overboard. However, the captains have their own set of dangerous distractions to worry about.

Captains like Sig Hansen of the F/V Northwestern are not only responsible for keeping the crew safe, but also for making sure the vessel itself stays afloat. Mechanical failures and ice buildup are always a concern, but as Hansen explains to TVLine, nothing compares to the fear of an onboard fire breaking out. "It gets to the point where, when you have a fire you can't put out [on the water], you're on your own little island," he said. Unfortunately, with all the interconnected mechanical parts required to power the boat, dealing with the occasional fire is just a situation that needs to be handled here and there. 

Unfortunately for Sig Hansen and the F/V Northwestern, this type of horrifying moment happened in Season 12, Episodes 13 and 14 ("Fire at Sea") when the veteran captain found himself needing to make snap decisions before everything in his world was lost. And just like every life or death decision these captains make, a steady mind and a calm demeanor is the best way to ensure the crew's survival.

While fishing on the Bering Sea, Sig Hansen and his crew found themselves in the middle of a sudden power outage. Zero power equals zero control, meaning the vessel is a bobbing disaster waiting to happen. Furthermore, the situation was brought to a different level of danger the moment a deckhand yelled "Fire!" In that instant, Hansen's professionalism kicked in, as he quickly answered back with, "Stay calm! Stay calm!"

Despite Hansen immediately showing his sturdy leadership in the middle of this emergency, he explained to TVLine that this reaction is a necessary façade, masking what's really going on inside his head. "Honestly, I think I was more afraid than anybody. I just wanted to stay calm," he recalled. Well, Hanson had some extra motivation to take his own advice, as one of his deckhands is his daughter, Mandy. However, he explained, that fact needs to stay out of his mind until after they are all safe. He shared, "Yeah, Mandy was on board. But I wasn't thinking so much about her. You think about that after the fact, which is bizarre."

In the end, Hansen kept his captain's head straight and the Northwestern safe, as the fire was discovered and put out. Of course, even one experience like this would cause most people to find a new line of work, but Hansen is not like most people. When asked if he ever has second thoughts about this line of work, he responded with "Yes. But I'm too stupid to do anything else"