Vessels in the vicinity of Great Inagua and Horsehoe Reef in the Bahamas were asked to keep a lookout for two crew members missing following the sinking of the 90ft schooner SV De Gallant on May 21. However, after 44 hours of searching, the US Coastguard have called off the search.

Published 6 months ago

According to Boatwatch.org, the SV De Gallant sank rapidly at 4 AM on May 21, 2024  22 NM North of Great Inagua in the Bahamas at position 21-35.6 and 73-29.0

The schooner set sail from the port of Santa Marta in northern Colombia on May 11, laden with coffee, cocoa and sugar bound for the Azores, then mainland Europe and Britain.

The sailing ship, more than 100 years old and a regular competitor in Tall Ships races, was operated by the French company Blue Schooner, which since 2017 has offered carbon-neutral cargo services.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopters from nearby Great Inagua, rescued six of the crew from a pair of liferafts.  The search continued for a further two missing crew members – both of whom were women and professional sailors—in a search area that stretched from the Inaguas to Horseshoe Reef.

Search Suspended

Despite the use of two helicopters, an aircraft and a ship of the United States Coast Guards, as well as a patrol vessel from the Bahamas, after approximately 44 combined hours covering more than 3,700 square miles, the search was suspended.

From a statement on the Blue Schooner website the company says, “The two (lost) crew members are professional seafarers trained in survival and rescue techniques at sea. The circumstances of this incident in very good weather conditions (beautiful sea, winds less than 10 knots) and on a ship that has largely proved its worth will remain to be determined. The information obtained so far evokes the very sudden and unexpected occurrence of extremely violent winds, causing the ship to capsize.”

“It is with heavy hearts we offer our sincere condolences to the families and crew that lost these two mariners,” said Cmdr. Lindsey Seniuk, Coast Guard Seventh District command center search and rescue mission coordinator.

“When we send our rescue crews out, it is with great hope we can bring people home safely, which is why suspending this case is one of the hardest decisions our personnel make. We are grateful we were able to bring home the six survivors and thankful for the assistance of our partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.”

About the SV De Gallant

The SV De Gallant was built in Vlaardingen (Netherlands) at the Figee brothers’ yard and launched in 1916 under the name Jannetje Margaretha and served as a herring lugger in the North Sea until 1936. She was used as a cargo vessel by her Danish owner throughout the early 1980s and in 1987 returned to the Netherlands for restoration, after which the ship was used for teaching and work experience projects for young people in Amsterdam.

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Related News:

• Blue Schooner Cargo Press Release
• Two Sailors Missing After Eco-Ship Sinks on the Way to the UK (The Times UK)

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Related Links:

• Blue Schooner

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