Coast Guard Searching for Man Near St. Matthew Island, Alaska

Update:

Coast Guard suspends search for man near St. Matthew Island, Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday for a man last seen aboard a fishing boat north of St. Matthew Island Thursday.

Two Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft crews searched along with the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro and the crews of fishing vessels Clipper Epic, Frontier Spirit and Frontier Mariner for more than 24 hours, covering approximately 894 square nautical miles.

The search was suspended at 3 p.m., pending any further developments.

“Most of us join the Coast Guard specifically because we want to save lives,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jared Buchmiller, 17th District command duty officer for the case Friday. “The painful reality is that we can’t always bring people home. It is with heavy hearts that we suspended this search today.”

Original Story:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard is searching for a man last seen aboard a fishing boat north of St. Matthew Island Thursday.

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak C-130 Hercules aircrew launched from Kotzebue and is searching for the man along with the crew of fishing vessels Clipper Epic, Frontier Spirit and Frontier Mariner. The man was initially reported missing to the Coast Guard by the master of the 162-foot fishing vessel Clipper Epic at about 12:40 p.m., approximately 60 miles north of St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea.

Watchstanders in the 17th District command center in Juneau issued an urgent marine information broadcast to alert potential good Samaritans.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro has been sent to assist in the search.

Search conditions include 15 mph winds, 5-foot seas, 10-mile visibility, an air temperature of 48 degrees and a water temperature of 50 degrees.

"The Coast Guard, the crew of Clipper Epic and others are doing everything we can to find this man," said Maren Murphy, Coast Guard 17th District command duty officer for the case. "We plan to search through the night."