US Coast Guard suspends search for missing fisherman after vessel capsizes

The US Coast Guard suspended its search on Monday morning for a fisherman who went missing after the 40-foot (12.2-metre) fishing vessel Das Bug capsized near Newport, Oregon, on Sunday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at approximately 16:00 on Sunday, August 10, that the vessel, with four people on board, had taken on water and capsized while transiting the Yaquina Bay Jetty.

A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay responded and rescued three individuals from the water. The survivors were transferred to emergency medical services and taken to hospital, where they were treated for hypothermia.

An extensive search was launched for the fourth crew member. Motor lifeboat crews from Station Yaquina Bay and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station North Bend conducted searches on Sunday evening. A first-light search was conducted by the helicopter crew on Monday morning, but there were no signs of the missing individual. The search was officially suspended at 10:15.

Rescue crews searched for a total of eight hours, covering 54 square miles (116.5 square kilometres).

“Suspending a search without finding the person you have been looking for is always one of the most difficult decisions we have to make,” said Coast Guard Lt. Cdr. Jacqueline Hunnicutt, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Columbia River.