The new season of the Deadliest Catch series is about to air at the end of 2024. The legendary ship Time Bandit is too old and outdated for the harsh weather of the sea. The captains need a giant ship. , more fully equipped

The F/V Time Bandit is probably the most iconic of all the crab-fishing vessels featured on Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch.” Owned and operated by the Hillstrand brothers, Johnathan and Andy, and puckishly adorned with the Jolly Roger on its prow, the ship has been a staple since the second season. But viewers have surely noticed the absence of the Time Bandit in some of the more recent seasons, particularly Seasons 14, 15, and 16.

Reports from TMZ in 2019 that the Time Bandit was up for auction likely gave fans the impression that the ship’s absence was all but permanent. A listing on Dock Street Brokers had listed it with an asking price of $2.8 million. This came just a few years after a large explosion in the ship’s engine, necessitating repairs that forced it to sit out Season 15 of “Deadliest Catch.” Between these two pieces of news, doubts must have flourished that the Time Bandit’s days on the show were a thing of the past.

However, Seasons 17, 18, and 19 of the show have seen the Time Bandit back in action, with at least one Hillstrand — namely Johnathan — manning the ship each time. What’s more, the Dock Street Brokers’ online listing for the boat has been down for some time. While we aren’t entirely sure what became of the decision to sell, it looks like the Time Bandit is still in the hands of the Hillstrands and is very much a part of “Deadliest Catch.”

The Time Bandit was retired, put up for auction, and has returned to the seas

As featured on “Deadliest Catch,” the Time Bandit is, to be sure, a unique ship, featuring a dishwasher, rooms with queen-sized beds, and even a four-man sauna, all of which are more-or-less unheard of on a crab fishing boat. A special episode during the ninth season of “Deadliest Catch” also revealed that the Hillstrands’ connection to the boat runs very deep; Andy and Johnathan’s father and uncle were both among the group that designed and built the Time Bandit.

Prior to the engine explosion, Johnathan Hillstrand had announced his retirement at the end of Season 13, which meant that the Time Bandit also sat out Season 14. That retirement thankfully proved to be short-lived, though obviously the repairs and the planned auction got in the way of the ship’s return to “Deadliest Catch.”

More recently, changes to the show’s format have prompted some to wonder if the ship is once again missing in action, with u/wildebeest55 recently posting on the r/deadliestcatch subreddit that they had not seen it for at least a few episodes. Ultimately, other users pointed to this recent format shift, which seems to be moving away from showing every single ship’s crew each week, instead showing a different group of ships each week.

One of Discovery’s — and now Discovery+’s — flagship programs, “Deadliest Catch,” is currently knee-deep in its 17th season and rapidly approaching the 300 episode mark. In that time, the series has taken viewers on expeditions across the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, documenting the turbulent lives of the fisherman seeking massive crab hauls in the region. There’s no shortage of danger, drama, crushing failure, and heartwarming success on these adventures, hence why “Deadliest Catch” is now seen as a constant on the small screen and keeps viewers coming back for more.

Now over 15 years removed from its premiere, “Deadliest Catch” has undergone some significant changes, specifically in terms of its cast. For instance, one name that has risen to prominence is Captain Jake Anderson — a professional skateboarder and fourth-generation fisherman who arrived on the show during Season 3. Always eager to prove himself, he hasn’t had it easy on the high seas, especially when it comes to earning the respect of his peers, but he presses on all the same. This committed attitude led him to captain a famed ship known as the F/V Saga, taking over for its former captain, Elliott Neese.

For those keeping a close eye on the latest “Deadliest Catch” season, it’s apparent that The Saga hasn’t featured as prominently as it once did. Here’s what’s going on with Captain Anderson’s ship.

The Saga is back in action, but for how long?

For the first few episodes of “Deadliest Catch” Season 17, The Saga was nowhere to be found. Some fans questioned if Captain Jake Anderson’s vessel finally sank, and others pondered whether or not it was merely being repaired for unknown reasons. All of this speculation was put to bed when it reemerged in the episode “Restricted Zone,” which aired on May 25, 2021, with its absence never fully explained. Nevertheless, it has gone on to make a few more appearances to the delight of fans, once again putting its reputation as a rough and tough fishing boat on full display.

To put it mildly, the legacy of The Saga is one riddled with near-tragedy and incredibly close calls. As explained by Distractify, the 42-year old ship has become a never-ending restoration project for Anderson, seeing as it has nearly sunk on several occasions. One particularly infamous instance of this came during the 19th episode of Season 16, “Rogue Wave Juggernaut,” when The Saga’s rudder began to fail. This meant the crew had to fix it in perilous waters, or else they’d lose control, and it would inevitably sink. Thankfully the team avoided disaster, but this is just a small taste of The Saga’s misfortune.

It took longer than most had anticipated, but the F/V Saga is back out on the water and doing well. How long it will be able to do so remains to be seen, but it stands to reason that should issues arise, Captain Jake Anderson won’t allow the tenured boat to go down without a fight.