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Coast Guard Suspends Search After Empty Fishing Vessel Karolee Is Recovered Off California

AIS data showed the Karolee moving south for days with lights on, with no radio response.

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Overview

  • Crews called off the operation around 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 13 after more than 18 hours of searching across roughly 2,100 square miles.
  • The cutter Sea Lion intercepted the vessel around 10 a.m. on Aug. 13, found no one aboard with safety gear intact, and towed it to Eureka, California.
  • A Coast Guard aircrew first located the boat on Aug. 12 and reported it rigged for fishing with a life raft in its cradle and no signs of distress.
  • The fisherman, who departed alone and was last heard from at about 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, was identified by the Oregon Albacore Commission as 70-year-old Joel Kawahara of Quilcene, Washington.
  • Officials noted the boat tracked a steady southerly course at about four knots for days, covering nearly 400 miles without contact.