A sailor went missing while on an aircraft carrier on Monday, July 28, according to PEOPLE. After a thorough investigation, the U.S. Navy has suspended the search due to the sailor likely falling overboard into the Timor Sea.
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U.S. Navy Suspends Search For Missing Sailor
In a press release, the U.S. Navy initially began search efforts “after receiving reports of a possible Sailor overboard.” They kept the sailor’s name under wraps and began searching for two days.
“The USS George Washington (CVN 73) and units assigned to Carrier Strike Group 5 are conducting search and rescue efforts in the Timor Sea, July 28, after one of the ship’s Sailors was reported missing,” it said.
Then, in an update on Wednesday, July 30, USS George Washington spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Mark Langford confirmed with the outlet that they have halted search efforts.
“USS George Washington expresses sincere condolences to those impacted by this loss and is actively engaged with the crew to make services available to tend to their needs during this challenging time,” said Langford.
Everything We Know About The Sailor
Not only do we still not know the sailor’s identity, but we don’t know their rank. We will likely find out that information once officials contact their family.
The aircraft carrier was out on the Timor Sea to perform the Talisman Sabre 25 exercise. This is a military training regimen that the U.S. and Australia organized. It involves over 40,000 military personnel from 19 different countries.
There are major aspects of this story we don’t yet know. When the sailor was last seen, what time he went missing, and where he could’ve fallen are all unknown.
It would be extremely difficult to search the sea for one body if the sailor had disappeared for a while. With thousands of individuals on the ship, it’s easy for one person to go missing without anyone noticing.