Two U.S. Navy sailors went missing Thursday after a night boarding mission off the coast of Somalia, according to reports.
The sailors were trying to board and capture an enemy ship when one of them fell into the water, and another next to him followed protocol and jumped into the water, according to the Associated Press. report. The sailors were Navy SEALs, according to the Associated Press.
According to reports, US Central Command (USCENTCOM) said on Friday that “search and rescue operations are currently underway” but would not share further information, citing operational security and concerns for affected families. said. USCENTCOM statement.
“Sailors were forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations and supported a variety of missions,” the statement added.
no mission included Operation Prosperity Guardian, a U.S.-led multinational and transatlantic security initiative, launched on December 18, 2023, to counter the recent wave of attacks by Yemen's Houthis against commercial ships transiting international waters in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Associated Press reported.It is reported that there was no link to Oil tanker seized by Iran Thursday. (Related article: U.S. military kills insurgents in gunfight after insurgents try to board merchant ship)
Search and rescue operations are underway for two Navy SEALs who went missing off the coast of Somalia on Thursday.US officials speak @NBCNews As the SEALs tried to board the small boats, one fell into the water and another jumped. #SundayToday pic.twitter.com/CbwxjoXQqK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 14, 2024
Sailors rarely go missing at sea, with one or two incidents occurring each year, but missing sailors are almost always never found, Military.com says. report.
Ethan Goolsby, a 20-year-old aviation ordnance apprentice from San Antonio, Texas, was last seen in the early morning hours of Dec. 10, 2020, after a night shift aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. A statement from the U.S. Navy Memorial says:. Two lifeguards said they saw someone in the water about 30 minutes after Goldsby went missing, according to the report. After a 55-hour search with no results, Goldsby was deemed “lost at sea and deceased,” the statement said.
