SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The U.S. Coast Guard has called off their search for the three missing American sailors who went missing off the coast of Mexico on April 4.
Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien, and William Gross were aboard a 44-foot sailing vessel. They reportedly left Mazatlan and were en route to San Diego and planned to stop in Cabo San Lucas on April 6 for provisions. But there was no record of them ever arriving in Cabo.
The Coast Guard said responders and SEMAR searched for a total of 281 hours and covered approximately 200,057 square nautical miles which is an area larger than California, off Mexico’s northern Pacific coast. There was no sign of the sailors or their vessel.
“An exhaustive search was conducted by our international search and rescue partner, Mexico, with the U.S. Coast Guard and Canada providing additional search assets,” said Cmdr. Gregory Higgins, command center chief, Coast Guard District 11. “SEMAR and U.S. Coast Guard assets worked hand-in-hand for all aspects of the case. Unfortunately, we found no evidence of the three Americans’ whereabouts or what might have happened. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of William Gross, Kerry O’Brien and Frank O’Brien.”
This is a reminder for mariners to let someone on shore know about their plans. In this case, it helped the Coast Guard to be notified when they didn’t check in. The incident also highlights the importance of carrying a registered 406MHZ electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), which automatically sends a notification during an emergency.
