Search Continues for Missing Bounty Captain

HMS Bounty sinking on Monday. Photo: US Coast Guard

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard continues its search Wednesday for the missing captain of the HMS Bounty approximately 145 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.

Missing is Robin Walbridge, 63.

The Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter homeported in Charleston, S.C., arrived on scene at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday and began searching for Walbridge. The crew aboard the HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., secured their searches for the night at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

READ: gCaptain’s HMS Bounty Coverage

The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Elm, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Atlantic Beach, N.C., searched through the night and is en route to North Carolina.

A crew aboard an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Miami, Fla., conducted a four-hour search Wednesday morning, a Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., began a search at approximately 7:30 a.m. and a Hercules aircrew from Air Station Elizabeth City will conduct a search after the Clearwater Hercules crew completes their search.

“As of now, our intent is to continue searching for the missing person,” said Capt. Doug Cameron, the chief of incident response for the Coast Guard 5th District. “This is still an active search, not a recovery effort. Factors such as fitness of the member, weather conditions, survival equipment and the results from previous searches are taken into consideration to determine how long the Coast Guard will search.”

The Coast Guard is searching an area approximately 1,500 square nautical miles.

The water temperature is 77 degrees, air temperature is 64 degrees, seas are 12 feet, and the winds are 30 mph.