Navy Ends Search For Sailor Lost When Sea Hawk Helicopter Went Down

It went down around 3:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, July 1, in waters within the area of responsibility of U.S. Central Command.

There is no evidence that hostile action was involved in the emergency landing, although the cause is still under investigation, military officials said.

The U.S. 5th Fleet issued a statement confirming the conclusion of the search. The language was spare and official.

“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” the statement said.

A second statement from the fleet command described the scope of the operation: “For more than 102 hours, an extensive and coordinated search and rescue effort spanning over 14,000 square miles was conducted.”

Equally remarkable is what the Navy didn’t say.