A large search off the coast of North Carolina is underway for a missing sailor who is presumed to have fallen off the deck of the USS Carter Hall on Saturday afternoon.
The search over a 4.500-square-mile area off Cape Hatteras was still underway Monday, according to the U.S. Navy, with eight ships, and is being assisted by aircraft from both the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.
The identity of the sailor has not been released, but the search began after a female third-class petty officer was discovered missing at around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday.
“We are continuing to search tirelessly with every asset at our disposal,” Navy Rear Admiral Cynthia Thebaud, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Two said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our shipmate and the family during this trying time.”
The USS Carter Hall, an amphibious dock landing ship that is part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was conducting routine training operations at the time the sailor went missing according to the Navy.
