The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search Wednesday for a Virginia man who fell overboard early Monday morning while on a Carnival Cruise ship headed back to Norfolk.
The Coast Guard searched more than 5,100 square miles of ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, and spent more than 60 hours searching, according to a Wednesday update.
The search and rescue efforts were conducted from the air and the water, according to a release. Nearby Navy ships and aircraft also assisted in the search.
“The Seventh Coast Guard District dispatched multiple search and rescue assets as soon as we were notified of the missing person. Our command center watchstanders provided search patterns to cutter crews and air crews who actively searched from Monday through Wednesday evening,” Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, Coast Guard District Seven search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the news release. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends.”
Ronnie Peale, Jr. 35, of Crimora, in Augusta County, north of Waynesboro, was reported missing Monday afternoon by a travel companion while aboard the Carnival Magic, according to a statement from the cruise line company. The ship was set to return to Norfolk on Tuesday following a trip to the Bahamas. Carnival said security footage showed Peale leaning over the railing of his room’s balcony and fell into the water at about 4:10 a.m. when the ship was about 186 miles east of Jacksonville.
According to a GoFundMe page shared by his loved ones, Peale was celebrating his significant other’s birthday on the ship, and it was his first time going on a cruise.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [email protected]
Waldy Diez contributed to this report.
