Families of three fishermen still missing at sea since their boat departed the Georgia coast nearly two weeks ago say they are not giving up hope, even as the U.S. Coast Guard ended its search after scouring ocean waters from northern Florida to Virginia.
The Coast Guard announced it was suspending search efforts Thursday night after boats and planes wrapped up a seventh day of looking with no sign of the commercial fishing vessel. It said crews had searched a total of 94,000 square miles (243,459 square kilometers).
“Despite the unwavering dedication of our crews, regrettably, we have not been able to uncover any traces of the vessel and have made the difficult decision to suspend the search for three beloved family members,” Capt. Frank DelRosso, commander of the Coast Guard sector based in Charleston, South Carolina, said in a statement.
The 31-foot (9.4-meter) fishing boat Carol Ann departed the port city of Brunswick on Oct. 14 with its captain, Dalton Conway, and two crew members, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow.
Barlow’s father, Chris Barlow, said he suspects the boat became disabled and drifted into the Gulf Stream, which swept it far to the north.
