U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search for Man Who Fell Off Cruise Ship Departing Baltimore
On December 25th, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that they were suspending the search for a 41-year-old man who fell overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on December 22nd. The man had been reported missing that evening after apparently going overboard from the Anthem of the Seas cruise ship while it was sailing near the coast of Charleston, South Carolina (source).
The Anthem of the Seas had departed from the Port of Baltimore on December 22nd, beginning a roundtrip Eastern Caribbean cruise that was scheduled to return to Baltimore on December 26th (source). Shortly after leaving the Baltimore area, the man was reported missing by other passengers.
The Coast Guard immediately launched a search and rescue operation, deploying aircraft and vessels to scour the waters approximately 100 miles off the coast of Charleston (source). However, with no sign of the man after over three days of searching, they made the decision to suspend the active search.
“Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders,” said Captain John Reed, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Charleston (source). “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the person in this case.”
Coast Guard officials explained that the conditions of the search – in open ocean, at night, with no witnesses – made the chances of survival very low. While they would continue to monitor for any additional information, they determined that further active searching was unlikely to be successful.
The tragic incident served as a reminder of the dangers of going overboard from large cruise ships far out at sea. The Coast Guard does their best to search for individuals in these circumstances, but the ocean can quickly claim a life unless the person goes overboard near to shorelines where rescuers have a better chance of a positive outcome.
