A U.S Coast Guard member of the crew of USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751) was reported missing off the Pacific coast of Mexico near the border of Guatemala.
The unidentified Coast Guardsman was initially reported missing while the Legend-class National Security Cutter was operating off the coast of Mexico.
“The Coast Guard is actively searching for a Coast Guard member that has been reported unaccounted for aboard the CGC Waesche while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean” a service spokesperson told USNI News.
Waesche and its embarked helicopter are actively searching the area, supported by the following assets:
- Two Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S)
- C-130 aircraft from U.S. Air Force (USCF) 39th Rescue Squadron
- C-130 aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak
- Waesche embarked Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone
- Mexican Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel
- Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft
The 4,700-ton cutter embarked with an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter and a small fixed-wing surveillance drone. The statement did not include when the service member was discovered missing.
