Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- The Fire Department here expected to launch two rescue boats onto Narragansett Bay sometime around 8 a.m. Wednesday to continue searching for a missing West Warwick fisherman, despite the fact that the U.S. Coast Guard called off its search Tuesday evening as darkness fell over the bay.

Crews expect to launch the boats from Allen Harbor, just north of Quonset Point, according to Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Leary.

Leary was not sure how many other agencies might participate in the search today. The Coast Guard had coordinated the search effort until calling it off on Tuesday.

Chester Kidd, 47, apparently drowned after issuing a distress call on Monday.

``Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. Kidd," said Scott Backholm, the U.S. Coast Guard's search and rescue controller for southeastern New England, as the agency ended its search. "As a life-saving service, it's never easy to end a search with someone still missing at sea."

A crew from the Kingston Fire Department found Kidd's 18-foot boat in about 20 feet of water about one mile southwest of Patience Island Tuesday afternoon. The state Department of Environmental Management plans to work with state divers to raise the vessel.

Kidd was fishing for quahog clams between Rocky Point and Quonset Point when he called a friend from his cell phone saying his boat was going down and he needed help.

 Tags  Chester Kidd N. Kingstown RI West Warwick RI

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