A rescue operation to find four missing fishermen has been called off, with the men feared lost at sea.

The New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing, US Coast Guard and US Air Force combed an area 1,000 miles east of Bermuda to rescue the crew of the capsized Jose Almuiña. But only seven of the 11 sailors were traced.

The US Coast Guard received an emergency signal from the Spanish vessel at 2.30 a.m. on Thursday, and scrambled two vessels to the scene. The SKS Mosel from Norway rescued one crew member, found clinging to debris in the water, while the Marshall Island's-registered Navigate Stealth II located a life raft with six people aboard.

An HC-130 Hercules search and rescue aircraft was then dispatched by the 106th Rescue Wing at 6 a.m. on Friday. It arrived in Bermuda at 9.30 a.m. to refuel and then joined in the search for the 91ft long fishing boat.

The next day however, the US Coast Guard ended active search operations at 4 p.m. The three-day search covered almost 4,400 nautical square miles.