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Office of Public Affairs |
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| Date: Oct. 24, 2009 Contact: (907) 321-4510 Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley |
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Photos Available - Coast Guard search for missing Sitka continues |
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Coast Guard is working with Alaska State Troopers, Sitka Mountain Rescue and the fishing vessel Brant crew in a continued search for a missing Sitka man after his vessel was discovered grounded with the engines still running more than 20 miles north of Sitka in Fish Bay Friday around 7 p.m. Michael Diverty was last seen leaving Sitka around noon Friday by the crew of the Brant and is believed to have fallen off his vessel, the Miss Dee Dee, sometime during the day north of Sitka. The crew of the Brant found Diverty’s boat aground in Schulze Cove in Fish Bay and promptly alerted the Coast Guard. Daylight searches have been conducted by a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon from Ketchikan. The search area is approximately six miles wide and 15 miles long. The vessel Brant who found the Miss Dee Dee has continued to provide assistance with conducting land and water searches. Alaska State Troopers arrived on scene and are conducting an investigation on whereabouts of Diverty in an effort to better understand the circumstances that led to this disappearance. Sitka Mountain Rescue also sent a team with a search dog to provide a shoreline search looking for any indication that Diverty had made it ashore. The Coast Guard has been in communication with Diverty’s family. His son is expected to arrive later today to take possession of the Miss Dee Dee. There has been no reported pollution or impact to the area by the grounded vessel. The crew of the Brant reported during their initial search that the life raft was still on board the Miss Dee Dee and there were no signs of missing life saving equipment. |
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