A 41-year-old man is missing after he went overboard from the Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas.
The incident occurred approximately 127 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, and was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at 7:17 p.m. on December 23, 2023.
The missing individual was traveling on the “8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise,” which departed from Baltimore, Maryland. The cruise included a journey through the Bahamas, with an intended return to Baltimore. Following the incident, Royal Caribbean took immediate action to alert authorities and commence a search and rescue mission.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a significant search effort, deploying two C-130 Hercules planes from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Clearwater, Florida. The search covered an area of over 1,625 square miles for eight hours. However, the search was suspended the following morning due to the vastness of the area and lack of findings.
Passengers on the cruise ship shared their experiences of the incident. Jake Utzinger, a 21-year-old film student, spoke about hearing the captain’s announcement and his reaction to the news. He, along with other passengers, helped in the search by watching from the ship’s pool deck.
Colin Schappi, another passenger, remembered the overboard alert “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Starboard!” The ship paused its journey, deployed a strobe light, and carried out a six-hour search before continuing its trip at around 2 a.m.
The Vision of the Seas, designed to accommodate up to 2,000 passengers, proceeded with its itinerary, with its next destination being Port Canaveral, Florida.
