Paul Youngk’s body recovered from capsized boat in Norfolk

Paul Youngk’s body recovered from capsized boat in Norfolk

Paul Youngk III found dead in his capsized sailboat after going missing on Easter Sunday April 21, 2019

NORFOLK, VA. – Following a frantic yet, complex, search of the Chesapeake Bay by numerous friends of the missing Paul Youngk, as well as several rescue agencies and the U. S. Coast Guard on Easter Sunday, his body wasn’t discovered until the next morning.

Coast Guard small craft ready to roll from Cape Charles Coast Guard Station in Va. THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY photo

Norfolk Police report that the body of the missing boater, 65-year-old Paul Youngk, was recovered from inside his capsized boat Monday morning, April 22, 2019.

Youngk of Suffolk was last seen on Saturday, April 20, on his sailing vessel Grafin, which had run aground off Fort Norfolk.

Paul Youngk III from Facebook page.

On Sunday, April 21, around 5:20 a.m., dispatchers received a call about a capsized boat approximately 15 feet from shore in the 500 block of Front Street. When first responders arrived, they attempted to locate the owner of the boat, but were unsuccessful.

Several agencies responded to the area over the weekend to investigate, including the United States Coast Guard, Virginia Marine Police, Norfolk-Fire Rescue, and the Norfolk Police Harbor Patrol.

Monday morning, around 8:45 a.m., crews recovered Youngk’s body from his boat.

The case has been classified as an undetermined death investigation and has been turned over to the Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause of death.

The Grafin capsized when it ran aground in Chesapeake Bay off of Norfolk on April 21, 2019, Paul Youngk III found dead inside.

Katherine Mallory Youngk wrote on her Facebook Page on April 21, 2019:

“We are still searching, Robert Wilkerson II and I are on the boat along with other family members coast guard, and police. Last thing we heard at 5:30 am from Paul Youngk III was the boat was capsizing (front street Norfolk). He was close enough to get on shore and walk to a near hotel or destination. I am going to locate the local hotels in the area to see if he has checked in and resting. Please keep us in your prayers and a look out at bars and hotels in the area.”

Paul Youngk IV posted this note to his friends on Facebook as the family and friends mounted an intense search for his father: “If u have no plans today and have a boat, me and Aaron Youngk are out by naval hospital looking for my dad. He went missing last night off his sailboat.”

This is a graphic of the 152 square miles of combined search patterns conducted by Coast Guard assets April 21, 2019, to search for a 63-year-old mariner named Paul Youngk in the vicinity of Norfolk, Virginia. The mariner went missing after his sailing vessel took on water and eventually became completely submerged. (U.S. Coast Guard Graphic)

Coast Guard suspends search for 63-year-old mariner near Norfolk, VA

NORFOLK, Va. — The Coast Guard suspended its search for a 63-year-old missing mariner on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia, Sunday night, April 21, 2019.

The missing 63-year-old man, Paul Youngk, was reportedly aboard his vessel when it began taking on water and eventually capsized early Sunday morning.

An MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and the crews of Coast Guard Cutter Hawk and Station Portsmouth searched a total of 152 square miles in 11.6 hours.

Also assisting in the search was the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Norfolk Police Department, Norfolk Fire Department, Hampton Police Department, and Chesapeake Fire Department.

“Several different agencies came together yesterday to search for Mr. Youngk,” said Capt. Samson Stevens, deputy commander for Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. “It’s with a heavy heart that the Coast Guard has decided to suspend its search, this is not the outcome we were hoping for and our thoughts are with the Youngk family.”

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