Coast Guard Suspends Search For Boaters

The Coast Guard suspended its search for two overdue boaters aboard a 38-foot pleasure craft who departed Ocean City, Md., Saturday and did not arrive in Chincoteague, Va.

Missing are Mike Bramlett, 51, and Donald Bramlett, 54.

"The decision to suspend a search is very difficult, but after an exhaustive search by air and surface crews over the last several days, the Coast Guard suspended our search for the missing boaters," said Capt. John Little, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth. "I cannot imagine the sadness felt by the family of these men, and my deepest sympathy goes out to them."

The Coast Guard searched approximately 20,400 overlapping square miles during a 32-hour period, using Coast Guard crews aboard an HC-130 Hercules and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., and a 45-foot Response Boat - Medium from Station Little Creek in Virgina Beach.

The crew of the Navy ship USS Bunker Hill assisted in the search when they spotted a possible debris field and helped vector in Coast Guard assets.
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