A FRESH appeal has been launched for a man who vanished 40 years ago while working out at sea as an investigating officer strives to prove it was "not accidental".
Kevin Dundon, from Clacton, who was just 22-years-old at the time of his disappearance, was last seen alive on a North Sea ferry, off the coast of Suffolk, on Sunday September 21 1980.
At the time, he was working for a shipping company called Townsend Thoresen on a large vessel called the Viking Viscount, which was returning to Felixstowe from Belgium
He had only started working on this particular ferry - which had 605 passengers on board - three days before he went missing and his duties included washing crockery in the ship’s galley
In the periods when he was not working, Mr Dundon was reported to have spent time in the staff mess room, which was frequented by various members of the crew throughout the day.
The last confirmed sightings of Mr Dundon, however, are at around 6.30pm, when he is believed to have been seen exiting the galley through a door which could have taken him to either the toilets or the deck.
Over the next hour, numerous attempts were made to find the young man, and further searches were instigated at around 9pm after the ferry had docked in Felixstowe.
Emergency services were also informed that Mr Dundon was missing, resulting in the HM Coastguard commencing a ‘man overboard’ search.
Sadly, Mr Dundon was not located and his body - nor any definitive answers or evidence - has never been found, despite a missing person investigation being launched.
Andy Guy, the major crime review and unsolved case manager for Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies, said: "40 years have now passed since Kevin Dundon disappeared and his family have been devoid of any explanation as to what happened to him since.
"There seems to be growing support to suggest Kevin’s disappearance was not accidental.
"I believe there are individuals who were on that ferry that know what happened to Kevin, but have not previously told us.
"Kevin’s parents died without knowing what happened to their son, but there are three brothers who deserve to be given some answers and closure about the fate of their sibling.”
In a joint statement, Mr Dundon's brothers, Jimmy, Tom and Danny Dundon, said they were in desperate need to know what happened to their loved one, if nothing else but for closure.
"Our mother, father and sister Jennifer have all since passed away without ever knowing what happened to him, and seeing our family being torn apart with grief was virtually unbearable," it read.
"We remember that day vividly and implore anyone aboard the Viking Viscount that evening who may remember anything about the incident, to please contact the police.
"It could be that a friend or relative may have mentioned something over the years and it would mean everything for us to finally know what happened to Kevin that evening, and finally give us closure.”
Anyone with information about Kevin Dundon’s disappearance, is asked to call 01953 423819 or email unsolvedcasereviews@norfolk.pnn.police.uk
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