Search Called Off for Missing Crewmember From USS George Washington

 

The U.S. Navy has called off a multiday search for a sailor who is believed to have gone overboard from the carrier USS George Washington, the service said in a statement Wednesday. 

On Monday, while George Washington was operating in an exercise in the Timor Sea, a sailor was reported missing and potentially overboard. The carrier and her escorts - USS Robert Smalls and USS Shoup - began a concerted search effort, aided by the carrier's air wing. The Australian Border Force and Australian Defense Force also contributed to the search. 

The effort was unsuccessful, and was called off on Wednesday afternoon. The lost sailor's name has not yet been released, pending notification to the family. 

At the time of the incident, the George Washington CSG was participating in a large-scale joint exercise with Australian forces, Talisman Sabre 2025. The multilateral exercise included 43,000 personnel from 19 nations, and the Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales was among the participating vessels. 

George Washington has a difficult history of crewmember fatalities. During a five-year yard period from 2017-22, nine sailors assigned to the ship died by suicide, including three in April 2022 alone. A command investigation found that the crew's quality of life during the yard period was austere and demanding, and that morale aboard was low; the report led to significant changes in how the Navy assigns enlisted servicemembers to yard periods and provides for their accommodations.