The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday evening for a crew member reported missing from the cutter Waesche while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean “pending the development of new information,” the service said.
Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, was discovered “unaccounted for” Tuesday morning while the cutter was conducting a “routine” counter-drug patrol about 300 nautical miles south of Mexico, the service said in a Monday release. The cutter immediately deviated from its patrol and initiated a comprehensive search effort.
“Our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Seaman Lee,” said Cmdr. David Stern, search-and-rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard District Eleven. “Considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the difficult decision to suspend the search. This case has been extraordinarily challenging, and the decision to suspend the search pending new information is not an easy choice. We’re thankful for the support from our units and partners who searched a significant region of the Pacific Ocean.”
Details about Lee’s service record were not immediately available.
Waesche and other assets searched for Lee for nearly 190 hours, covering more than 19,000 square nautical miles, the service said.
In addition to Waesche’s embarked helicopter and unmanned aircraft system, responding assets included Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South, C-130 aircraft from the Air Force and Coast Guard and Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Offshore Patrol Vessel.
Beth Sullivan is an editor for Military Times. Previously, she worked as a staff reporter for The Daily Memphian and as an assistant editor at The Austin Chronicle.
