An area of about 2,000 square miles was searched over the course of 30 hours, said Canadian Fleet Pacific Commander Angus Topshee. The U.S. Coast Guard and California Air National Guard assisted Canadian efforts.
Topshee said the search was as thorough as possible, “but it is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.”
With the search over, the focus is on supporting Earle’s family and friends, while working to bring Winnipeg home after a “long and very demanding deployment,” he said.
With about 230 sailors and officers, HMCS Winnipeg was involved in Operations Projection and Neon in the Asia-Pacific area. The latter is part of a multinational effort to enforce maritime sanctions against North Korea.