Coast Guard searches for crew member in Eastern Pacific Ocean

EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN – The Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) is actively searching for a Coast Guard crew member that was reported unaccounted for Tuesday morning, while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.  

The crew member was discovered unaccounted for while underway approximately 300 nautical miles south of Mexico. The crew member was last seen eight hours earlier. The cutter immediately deviated from its routine counter-drug patrol tasking and initiated a comprehensive search effort. 

Waesche and its embarked helicopter are actively searching the area, supported by the following assets: 

• Two Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S) 

• C-130 aircraft from U.S. Air Force (USCF) 39th Rescue Squadron 

• C-130 aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak 

• Waesche embarked Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone 

• Mexican Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel 

• Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft 

The search area and effort are vast, and the operation is being carefully coordinated to ensure maximum coverage and effectiveness.  

The circumstances around the search and rescue case are under investigation. 

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