PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard suspended its search 10:58 a.m Friday for a missing 54-year-old man 30 miles east of Oregon Inlet.
Missing is Bobby Barbers, 54, a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Gallant Fox.
Crewmembers of the Gallant Fox called Sector North Carolina watchstanders at 5 a.m. Thursday relaying that a crewman was missing and presumed to have fallen overboard. Watchstanders began launching vessels and aircraft to search for the man. They also sought help by broadcasting an urgent marine information broadcast to notify other mariners in the area via radio and used enhanced group calls to notify ships via satellite communication.
Rescue crews searched a total of 3,210 square nautical miles with the following vessels and aircraft:
- MH-60T Jayhawk rescue helicopters from Air Station Elizabeth City
- HC-130J Hercules rescue planes from Air Station Elizabeth City
- 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Oregon Inlet
- The Coast Guard Cutter Cochito, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Portsmouth
- The Coast Guard Cutter Block Island, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Atlantic Beach
The search is suspended pending further developments.
