November 11, 2020 — The U.S. Coast Guard and other first responders are still searching for two people in the water after an overturned fishing vessel was found near Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina Tuesday morning.
The missing boaters have been identified as George Hamilton Andrews from Raleigh and William (Bill) Watkins Merriman IV from Wilmington. The duo was last seen leaving Atlantic Beach Sunday for a fishing trip.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a report from a fishing vessel around 8 a.m. that a 35-foot recreational vessel was found overturned approximately three nautical miles outside of Beaufort Inlet.
TowBoat U.S. deployed a diver and determined there was no one onboard the vessel, but all the lights and gear were still energized.
Sector North Carolina issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and directed the launch of search and rescue assets. The Coast Guard is searching an area that spans approximately 200 square nautical miles.