The US Coast Guard on Thursday called off its search for the Australian man who went overboard off a cruise ship near Hawaii two days earlier.
The man, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas trip from Brisbane to Honolulu, was identified as 35-year-old Warwick Tollemache and was remembered by family members as a “gentle soul.”
Tollemache plunged into the ocean about 500 miles south of Kailua Kona, Big Island, shortly after 11 p.m. local time Tuesday.
The cruise ship, which left Brisbane on April 12, remained at the location where he went overboard for about two hours as crews searched for the missing passenger before turning the search over to local authorities and resuming course.
“While on its trans-Pacific sailing, a guest onboard Quantum of the Seas went overboard,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said. “The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities.”
Coast Guard air crews scoured the waters the next morning — completing five searches over the course of six hours.
On Thursday, Coast Guard officials announced an end to the search after consulting with Tollemache’s family.
“After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” said Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu.
Loved ones posted touching tributes to Tollemache on social media.
“Our family is heartbroken at the loss of our beloved Warwick. He was a kind, beautiful, and gentle soul who was adored by everyone who knew him,” Mandy Tollemache said in a statement from the family. “He will be deeply missed.”
A friend of the Brisbane man called his death “the worst news ever” in a post to Facebook.
“I will miss you dearly my friend, my brother,” Terence Dicks wrote. “My heart is aching so much knowing that I won’t get to see you again or give you a hug.”
