Missing yacht: hull found, but search still to be called off
The hull of the yacht that was carrying four British sailors who went missing in the North Atlantic a week ago has been found, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms.
But there is still no sign of Andrew Bridge, 21, Paul Goslin, 56, Steve Warren, 52, and James Male, 23, who were sailing in Cheeki Rafiki when contact was lost with her. And the US Coastguard (USCG) insisted it would go ahead with its plan to call off the search on Friday night because the discovery of the hull did not suggest the crew would still be alive.
A Foreign Office spokesman said it was keeping in close contact with the US Navy, which made the discovery in the North Atlantic. They have informed the missing mens’ families of the discovery.
In a statement no Friday night, the USCG said: “Navy crews observed that the sailing vessel’s keel was broken off, causing a breach in the hull. The hull sighting has not impacted search planning as teams continue to look for a bright-coloured life raft as their search object.
“The US Coast Guard made an announcement, Thursday, that search operations would be suspended at midnight Friday unless new information or sightings suggested the crew would still be alive. None of the current developments indicate that to be the case.”
‘Flooded’
It said a US navy warship helicopter crew discovered the overturned hull 1,000 miles off Massachusetts. A close inspection of the debris confirmed the identity of the yacht, which had been flooded.
The USCG said: “The swimmer determined the boat’s cabin was flooded and windows were shattered, contributing to the complete flooding inside.
“The swimmer also knocked on the hull and reached an arm’s length below the waterline with no results. Surface swimmers are not trained divers and do not perform sub-surface operations.”
The yacht is believed to have got into difficulties around 620 miles east of Cape Cod on Thursday 15 May and contact was lost the following day.
‘Saddened’
Earlier, the Foreign Office said the missing men’s families were still holding out hope that their loved ones would be found after US officials announced on Thursday that they were preparing to stand down the search operation.
The Foreign Office said that relatives of the missing were saddened by the news. But it added that they were prepared for the fact that this would have to happen.
“They are meeting with the Foreign Office later on today, to talk about UK involvement and any other avenues that can be explored,” said a spokesman.
The spokesman added: “Having spent the week getting to know each other better, along with hearing the endless accounts of survivors, the families are reassured that their men would work as an efficient and cohesive team.
“This gives them additional hope that they will still be found, as the US Coast Guard have found no evidence to the contrary.”