Eric Koss of Woodinville, Wash., was killed August 13 when the hydrographic survey launch he was piloting in Prince William Sound, Alaska, capsized after being struck by high waves, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said today. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Koss, a member of the crew of the NOAA hydrographic survey ship Rainier, and two other crew members, David Fischman and NOAA Corps Ensign Jennifer Johnson, were in a small launch conducting surveys of the sea bottom off Point Elrington, Elrington Island, in Resurrection Bay. The work had been underway in rough seas, conditions that were normal for that area. The launch was apparently hit by high waves, which turned the boat sideways and capsized it.