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(KRON) — The whereabouts of a man who seemingly disappeared from a fishing vessel along the coast of Oregon and Washington last week remain a mystery. According to the United States Coast Guard, the 65-year-old man was last heard from at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.
Days earlier, the Coast Guard said the man had departed alone on his fishing vessel, the Karolee. Officials said the boat could be seen via its automatic identification system (AIS) and was traveling a constant southerly course at around 4 knots (nautical miles) for several days.
The Coast Guard said it made numerous call outs to the Carolee and asked marines to do the same. However, no communication was ever received from the vessel.
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, a Coast Guard C-27 fixed-wing aircrew from Air Station Sacramento responded to the Carolee’s position and attempted to make contact. Again, nothing was heard.
At the time, the Coast Guard said aircrew noted that the Carolee was rigged for fishing, lights were energized, and a life raft was observed in its cradle. The aircrew flew over the vessel’s course, but found no signs of distress, officials said.
The crew returned to Sacramento. Later that day, watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Northwest District command center sent an MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Astoria and Coast Guard Douglas Denman to assist in the search.
A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay was also launched to complete a shoreline search from Cape Flattery toward La Push, Washington. Both vessels searched for hours, by air and sea, along the trackline of where the vessel traveled off the coast of Washington and Oregon.
At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion intercepted the Karolee and the crew boarded the vessel. No one was onboard and all the safety equipment was located aboard, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard suspended the search around 1:30 p.m. and the Sea Lion towed the Karolee to Eureka, where it is now moored.
“Suspending a search for someone is the toughest decision we make in the Coast Guard,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Chelsey Stroud, search and rescue coordinator for the Coast Guard Northwest District. “Our crews diligently search hundreds of miles. We are grateful for the numerous Coast Guard crews along the West Coast who assisted in this search. We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing man.”