Coast Guard will suspend search for Seacor Power crew

The Coast Guard will suspend the search for crew members of the capsized lift boat Seacor Power at sunset Monday, a Coast Guard officer told reporters.

Capt. Will E. Watson of the Coast Guard's New Orleans Station said family members had already received news that the week-old search would be halted.

"There was a lot of hugging and crying ...," Watson said. "But there was a lot of hope and faith still."

Six crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard and good Samaritan volunteers Tuesday afternoon, not long after the lift boat capsized in heavy seas and tropical storm-force winds eight miles off Port Fourchon.

The bodies of five more crew members have been recovered, including the captain, David Ledet, 63.

Also identified were Anthony Hartford, 53, of New Orleans; Wallingsford, 55, of Gilbert in northeast Louisiana; Ernest Williams, 69, of Arnaudville; and Lawrence Warren, 36, of Terrytown.

Eight crew members are still missing.

Seventeen divers from Donjon-SMIT and Phoenix are involved in the search along with four cutters and three fast-response boats, six fixed-winged aircraft and three helicopters from the Coast Guard.

The investigation now becomes the task of the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB is asking for information from people who might have been on the water when the lift boat capsized about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and from people who have worked on the boat and might have photos or videos from that experience. They encouraged people to use the email address eyewitness@ntsb.gov.

The crew of the Seacor Power was "one of our most veteran and experienced," Seacor Marine Holdings CEO John Gellert told reporters. He described Ledet, the captain, as "one of our best captains, very prudent and conservative."

There were weather warnings before the boat capsized, Gellert said, "but not of the magnitude we encountered."