Missing Crew Member Of Ship Found While Owner Is In Denver

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (CBS4/AP) — The Coast Guard says it has found one of the missing crew members of a tall ship replica that went down off the North Carolina coast, but she is unresponsive.

Lt. Mike Patterson said crews are taking 42-year-old Claudene Christian to the hospital. The Coast Guard is still searching for the captain of the HMS Bounty.

The ship began taking on water and the crew had to abandon it about 5 a.m. Monday in the rough waters churned up by Hurricane Sandy. The 14 other crew members were rescued.

The HMS Bounty's owner, Robert Hansen, has been visiting Denver and said he completely trusts the captain.

"The captain was aware of the storm. I don't really question his judgment. He knows the ship, he's been captain of her for over 20 years and nobody knows her better than him and I totally trusted his judgment," Hansen said. "He was heading way out east to try to go around it."

Hansen said the ship could have sailed through the hurricane, so he thinks something else had to have gone wrong. He said the captain should be wearing an ocean survival suit.

The Bounty left Connecticut last week heading for Texas for the winter.

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