Sailor Missing Off Polish Coast
Several warships, civilian vessels and aircraft were combing the Baltic Sea off Poland on Wednesday for an experienced Canadian sailor believed to have fallen overboard during a naval exercise.
HMCS Montreal was sailing with a NATO reaction force about 50 kilometres off the Polish coast when Leading Seaman Robert Leblanc, 24, failed to report for his shift.
"They mustered all the ship's company and still couldn't find him," said Lt.-Cmdr. Denise LaViolette, a navy spokeswoman in Halifax.
"They did an intensive search of the entire ship - all the compartments, all the various rooms - and still couldn't find him, so they put into motion the man-overboard processes, and (enacted) a search-rescue mission."
The Canadian frigate, which is based in Halifax, had been at sea for three days following a brief stop in Copenhagen.
Leblanc was last seen on deck at about 6:30 p.m. AT on Tuesday night, navy officials said.
Leblanc, an unmarried resident of Halifax, was described by navy spokeswoman Lieut. Sue Stefko as a young but experienced sailor with several deployments under his belt.
"He's certainly not new to going to sea so we're not exactly sure how this could have happened," she said.
The missing Canadian was believed to have been wearing a winter jacket, which could act as a flotation device, but the water was a frigid 1 C.
Weather conditions were favourable for the search, with minimum winds and a calm sea.
In addition to Montreal, warships from the United States, Poland and Denmark were involved in the search, as well as civilian vessels and local fishermen.
A Sea King helicopter from HMCS Montreal was also involved.
Commissioned in 1994, the warship left Halifax on Jan. 15 for a six-month deployment.
Bartosz Zajda, a spokesman for the Polish navy, said the search would continue "for as long as possible.