NORFOLK, Va. - The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have suspended their search for a missing civil service boater.
The boater was reported missing from the USNS Medgar Evans Wednesday after failing to appear for morning roll call. Crews searched for 37 hours, covering more than 1,522 square nautical miles.
“After careful consideration, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend its active search efforts,” said Commander Robert Gomez, Deputy Sector Commander for Coast Guard Sector North Carolina. “We diligently searched the vast area by air and sea but unfortunately were unable to locate the victim. Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the family of the missing man, as well as our U.S. Navy partners during this trying time.”
The mariner assigned to the Dry Cargo and Ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) was identified as Mississippi native Charles Lee Reese III.
Reese reported to Medgar Evers in August 2022.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
USNS Medgar Evers currently operates out of Naval Station Norfolk.
