The wreck of a rowing boat abandoned by a team of US Air Force veterans in 2022 has been recovered off the French coast three years later.
As the Maritime Executive reports, the rowing boat named Woobie has been located by a commercial fishing vessel, which reported a “ghost ship” to the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in western France.
The vessel was towed to La Rochelle and plans are said to be underway to return the boat to Alabama.
The recovery was confirmed by the US team involved in the Fight Oar Die (FOD) mission which had attempted the 2022 Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
The four US veterans set out in December 2022 to row 3,000 nautical miles from La Gomera in the Canary islands to Antigua. Their aim was to raise awareness for veteran mental health.
After 16 days at sea, the vessel capsized and failed to self-right. The crew was forced to abandon ship and take to the liferaft. All four were rescued by the crew of the bulk carrier Hanze Göteborg after spending 22 hours adrift.
Read The Maritime Executive report here
