NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. Navy has suspended its active search for a sailor who went missing after a helicopter went down in the Arabian Sea last week.
According to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the search officially ended at 3 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on Sunday, July 5.
The sailor, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 and embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), was reported missing on July 1 after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made what the Navy previously described as an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea.
Three of the helicopter's four crew members were rescued and returned to the USS George H.W. Bush. One sailor remained missing.
The Navy said the search ended following an extensive effort involving both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Military crews searched for more than 102 hours, covering more than 14,000 square miles of the Arabian Sea.
The operation included aircraft and personnel from the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups, multiple guided-missile destroyers, two P-8 Poseidon squadrons and several U.S. Air Force aircraft.
Participating units included HSC 5, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46, Carrier Air Wings 7 and 9, HSC 14, HSM 71, the destroyers USS Ross, USS Donald Cook, USS Higgins, USS Mason and USS John Finn, along with HSM 51 and other search assets.
The Navy said the missing sailor's name is being withheld until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notification has been completed, in accordance with Navy policy.
Officials have also said there is no indication the helicopter was brought down by hostile action.
The USS George H.W. Bush has been operating in the Middle East since late April and remains one of two U.S. aircraft carriers deployed to the region.
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