Coast Guard suspends search for missing mariner 529 miles east of Virginia Beach, Virginia

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 11/13/2019 08:58 PM EST

united states coast guard 

News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
Contact: 5th District Public Affairs
Office: (757) 398-6272
After Hours: (757) 434-7712
5th District online newsroom

Coast Guard suspends search for missing mariner 529 miles east of Virginia Beach, Virginia

This is a graphic of the combined search patterns conducted by Coast Guard assets 529 miles east of Virginia Beach, Virginia, to search for a mariner that entered the water but did not resurface Nov. 13, 2019. The two people who entered the water with the missing mariner were recovered by a Good Samaritan vessel that responded to the initial MAYDAY call. (U.S. Coast Guard Graphic)

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard suspended its search Wednesday evening for a man who reportedly entered the water with two other people on Wednesday morning.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s 5th District command center received the initial report at approximately 4 a.m. that motor vessel Stena Progress had diverted from its course to respond to a MAYDAY broadcast on VHF-FM channel 16 from sailing vessel In Tune.

An HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and an HC-144 Casa aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts, were launched to respond, and searched over 1,069 square nautical miles.

"I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends who have been affected by this case,” said Capt. Timothy Eason, the Chief of Incident Management for the Coast Guard’s 5th District. “Deciding when to suspend a search is an extremely hard decision to make. Unfortunately, after this period of time in the water and extensive area searched with no sightings, it is highly unlikely we would be able to recover him.”

The Coast Guard has suspended its search, pending the development of new information.

 

-USCG-