Thomas Alan Clarke was 32 years old when he was last seen on September 9, 2011, on Monhegan Island Plantation, Maine. He was on the island during what was supposed to be a joyful gathering, with contemporary local reporting describing him as part of a group connected to a wedding on or near Monhegan. That Friday afternoon, he and others were exploring the island’s rugged shoreline, a place known for steep rocks, sea caves, and sudden surf.
NamUs lists his last location as Monhegan, Maine, and records that he was hiking along the rocks on the southeast side of the island when a large wave swept him into the ocean. Witnesses saw him in the water afterward, swimming, but he drifted out of sight before rescue boats could reach him.
The conditions around Monhegan that day were dangerous. News reports at the time said the sea was being churned by the effects of Hurricane Katia offshore, with the Coast Guard reporting 5- to 8-foot seas. Local coverage described a large wave striking while the group was near the rocky coastline and coastal caves on the eastern side of the island. According to the reports, friends tried desperately to help, with one account stating that four people entered the water in an attempt to rescue him, but they were unable to locate him. Those moments appear to have unfolded quickly and painfully, turning an afternoon of sightseeing into an emergency witnessed by people who cared about him and by responders who soon converged on the waters around the island.
The search that followed involved multiple agencies and local help. The U.S. Coast Guard searched by air and sea, while the Maine Marine Patrol, the Monhegan Island Volunteer Fire Department, local fishing boats, and good Samaritans assisted. Local reports said the search was still underway the morning after Thomas disappeared, and another report later stated that the Coast Guard suspended the active search on the evening of Saturday, September 10, unless new information developed. The same local coverage described the wider setting with heartbreaking clarity: the wedding connected to the gathering took place the next day on Manana Island, across the small harbor from Monhegan, while the search for Thomas had already become the central tragedy surrounding the weekend.
Thomas was described in official missing-person information as a White/Caucasian male with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds. His identifying features included a tattoo of an angel on the right side of his torso and a tattoo of a fish on his left chest. NamUs also lists a camera and camera bag among the items associated with him, a detail that aligns with Irish reporting describing him as a keen amateur photographer. Reports from Ireland identified him as originally from County Cavan, with ties to Kilnaleck, and described his family holding vigil after he was swept into the sea and remained missing. In overview, Thomas Clarke’s case began as a visit to the Maine coast for a meaningful personal occasion, became a sudden maritime emergency when a storm-driven wave pulled him from Monhegan’s rocks, and remains recorded in public missing-person sources as the case of a man last seen alive in the ocean off Monhegan Island on September 9, 2011, after witnesses watched him struggle in the water and drift beyond reach before rescuers could arrive.Last Seen: Sep 9, 2011
