( CNN ) -- Two sailors from a ship that capsized in the Irish Sea in gale-forced winds were rescued `` in reasonable condition '' Sunday while five remained missing , the British coast guard said . The body of an eighth sailor was recovered , the coast guard said . After a daylong search in rough seas , the British coast guard ended the effort to find the five missing men as darkness fell , according to a coast guard press officer . `` Today at roughly 16:45 GMT ( 11:45 a.m . ET ) , a decision was made by the coast guard to call off the search and rescue mission for the five remaining missing sailors in the Irish Sea , '' press officer Jo Groenenberg told CNN . A Ministry of Defence spokesman earlier confirmed to CNN that Prince William was the co-pilot of the helicopter that plucked the two rescued sailors from a life raft . The crew of the Swanland sent out a mayday call about 2 a.m. local time , saying the ship was caught in strong winds and had a cracked hull , the coast guard 's press office said . A few ships responded , but the Swanland had capsized by the time they got there , the office said . The coast guard dispatched two helicopters , including one from RAF Valley base , where Prince William is a search-and-rescue pilot . The helicopter pulled two men from the water . A coast guard spokesman later said the two -- who included the ship 's second officer -- were in `` reasonable condition '' after the helicopter had carried them to the military base .
The British coast guard calls off a search for five missing sailors . Two rescued sailors are `` in reasonable condition ; '' a third is in unknown condition . The ship capsized in gale-force winds . - A U.S. Navy destroyer collides with the USS John S. McCain (CVN-78), killing seven sailors.