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U.S. sailor falls overboard
11/08/2001
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A search was under way
Wednesday night for a U.S. sailor who fell overboard from an aircraft carrier in
the Arabian Sea.
The sailor fell from the USS Kitty Hawk at 7:22 a.m. EST and a search and
rescue operation was begun immediately, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Don Sewell, a Pentagon spokesman. Repeated
helicopter searches and several dives found no sign of the sailor. ``We don't know how long the search is going to continue at this point,''
Sewell said late Wednesday night. ``But we are still proceeding as though the
sailor is alive.'' It was not known how the sailor fell overboard, Sewell said. The Kitty Hawk is supporting the U.S. effort in Afghanistan. The sailor was not identified because his family had not yet been notified.
The USS Kitty Hawk is part of a three ship battle group being used as a
helicopter base for special operations troops. Before Wednesday, three American servicemen had been reported killed since
the U.S.-led airstrikes against the Taliban and terrorist groups in Afghanistan
began on Oct. 7. Two Army Rangers were killed when their Black Hawk crashed in Pakistan on
Oct. 19 during support for a special forces raid in Afghanistan — the first
combat-related deaths in the campaign. Military officials have not released
details of the Black Hawk's mission, but some believed it was preparing to cross
into Afghanistan in the event any Army Rangers had to be rescued. Master Sgt. Evander Earl Andrews was killed Oct. 10 in a heavy equipment
accident Qatar.