MIAMI – The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday at 6:15 p.m. for a cruise ship employee who reportedly went overboard while the cruise ship, Carnival Sensation, was at sea about 20 miles east of Vero Beach, Fla., around 12:50 a.m. Thursday.
Co-workers reported him falling overboard to cruise ship officials around 12:50 a.m. Thursday.
Cruise ship personnel immediately contacted the Coast Guard for assistance and initiated a search for the employee. Coast Guard search and rescue crews arrived on-scene quickly after receiving the report and searched more than 3000 square miles for the missing employee.
Coast Guard assets assisting in the search were :
— HU-25 Falcon jet crew and HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Miami
— HU-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and C-130 Hercules fixed wing aircraft crew from Air Station Clearwater, Fla.
— 33-foot Special Purpose boat crew from Station Fort Pierce, Fla.
— Cutter Bluefin homeported in Fort Pierce, Fla. and Cutter Shrike homeported in Port Canaveral, Fla., both 87-foot patrol boats
