The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and other ships are combing the waters off Southern California tonight after a lookout spotted a sailor in the water at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
One sailor was later unaccounted for during a command-wide muster, according to a U.S. 3rd Fleet statement released about 12 hours after the man overboard call went out.
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A message posted to the ship ombudsman’s private Facebook page Thursday, a copy of which was provided to Navy Times by a TR community member, states that “the sailor’s primary next-of-kin have been notified and we will continue doing everything we can to support them as we keep searching.”
Several Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships were taking part in the search, 3rd Fleet said.
The ombudsman’s posts states that chaplains, counselors and the ship’s psychologist are “actively engaged” in helping the crew with the event.
“In addition, two additional mental health providers are on station,” the message states. “Leadership will continue to monitor the situation and ensure any Sailors who need assistance receive it.”
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TR endured a mass COVID-19 outbreak this spring that infected roughly a quarter of the 5,000 sailors aboard, forcing a months-long detour to Guam.
The crew returned to San Diego in July and left Monday for a so-called “double pump” deployment.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
