A 41-year-old man, whose identity has not been disclosed, is missing after reportedly going overboard from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Vision of the Seas.
The incident occurred approximately 127 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Coast Guard received notification of the situation at 7:17 p.m. on Saturday, December 23, 2023.
The missing man was a passenger on the “8 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Holiday Cruise,” which embarked from Baltimore, Maryland. The ship’s itinerary included travel through the Bahamas, with a scheduled return to Baltimore.
Following the report of the overboard incident, Royal Caribbean representatives confirmed that the ship’s crew immediately alerted local authorities and initiated a search and rescue mission.
The Coast Guard deployed two C-130 Hercules planes, one from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and another from Clearwater, Florida, to assist in the search efforts.
Despite an extensive operation that covered more than 1,625 square miles over an eight-hour period, the Coast Guard announced the suspension of the search on the morning following the incident.
Passengers aboard the Vision of the Seas recounted the moment they learned of the emergency. Jake Utzinger, a 21-year-old film student from New Jersey, shared his experience of hearing the captain’s announcement about the overboard passenger. Utzinger expressed his disbelief upon hearing the news. He and other passengers gathered on the ship’s pool deck to assist in the search by acting as additional observers.
Another passenger, Colin Schappi, recalled hearing the emergency announcement “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Starboard!” over the ship’s intercom, a signal used to indicate an overboard situation. The ship halted its course, deployed a strobe lamp, and conducted a search operation for approximately six hours before resuming its voyage around 2 a.m.
The Vision of the Seas, a vessel capable of accommodating up to 2,000 passengers, continued its journey, with its next stop at Port Canaveral, Florida.
