Fishing boat with 3 men aboard vanishes off Georgia. Coast Guard search now suspended

UPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for the missing fishing vessel Carol Ann after covering more than 94,000 square miles over seven days. “We have not been able to uncover any traces of the vessel,” Coast Guard Capt. Frank DelRosso said in a news release.

The original story is below.

A fishing boat with three men aboard has vanished off Georgia, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to invest days in searching waters 80 miles off Brunswick.

Named the Carol Ann, the 31-foot vessel departed Brunswick Oct. 14 and was reported missing Oct. 20, according to a news release. Brunswick is about 80 miles south of Savannah.

“The owner ... hired a crew of three people that failed to return on Wednesday (Oct. 18) as scheduled,” the USCG said.

“The owner stated the crew extends fishing trips to maximize their catch but was growing concerned due to their last communication with the crew being six days ago.”

Crew members were identified as Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow, officials said.

Attempts to reach them by marine radio have failed, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

Acquaintances of the crewmen have been recruiting boaters and anglers “from St. Simons (Island) to Charleston” to join the search, according to social media posts.

“Calling all boaters and (fishermen). We are heading out in the morning,” Josh Morgan posted Oct. 21 on Facebook. “Please join together and help ... these young men get home safe.”

Another boater reports he saw “a vessel matching the description of the Carol Ann” on Oct. 18, the USCG says. Details of that encounter were not released, including whether the boat was experiencing issues.

This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Fishing boat with 3 men aboard vanishes off Georgia. Coast Guard search now suspended."