OAK HARBOR The Coast Guard on Saturday was searching for a U.S. Navy sailor missing in Crescent Harbor on the east side of Whidbey Island. “The priority of the Coast Guard was to rescue Perry and Austin, not the boat”, both families said in a statement. A woman aboard the boat swam ashore and reported the incident and the missing person.
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Coast Guard crews covered more than 480 square miles during the search after receiving a report that 30-year-old Daniel Sewell had gone missing from Fort Gaines where he had planned to go swimming.
“The Coast Guard was on scene within moments after we were notified”, said Lt. John McKenzie, chief duty officer, Sector Puget Sound.
The Coast Guard responded with a helicopter from Air Station Port Angeles, a 45-foot response boat from Station Seattle, and the USCG Cutter Sea Lion from Bellingham, the Coast Guard reported.
Sailors from the missing sailor’s unit combed the beaches of Whidbey Island, but by 10 p.m., the Coast Guard called off the search.
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The helicopter and a rescue boat from the Port Angeles station were sent to search the area. The wife had returned home to find the grandson alone and summoned rescuers, the Coast Guard said. The water temperature was 53 degrees.
