Posted on 08/11/2018 4:27:30 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A search is ongoing in the Sulu Sea for a 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Marine assigned to USS Essex (LHD-2) who has been missing for almost two days. Since 9:40 a.m. local time Thursday — Wednesday evening in the U.S. — Navy and Marine Corps aircraft have run around-the-clock searches of the Sulu Sea and Surigao Strait for the Marine who is presumed overboard from Essex, the 13th MEU said in a statement. The search efforts are being assisted by the Philippine Coast Guard vessel.
“As we continue our search operation, we ask that you keep our Marine and the Marine’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” Col. Chandler Nelms, commanding officer of the 13th MEU, said in a statement. “We remain committed to searching for and finding our Marine.”
The Marine’s family has been notified of the search, but the Marine’s identity is not being released while the search is ongoing, according to a Navy statement. So far, the search has covered more than 3,000 square nautical miles.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.usni.org ...
Prayers up
It will go on.
Cool. My brother (23 yrs) and husband (10 years) were in the Air Force. My brother could probably have made it 30+, but Mom said he had to retire when our Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
That’s great. Thank him for his service. We need good people and his old man is a good indicator that he’s top notch.
What kind of sailor would want to serve on such a rust bucket?
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One happy to be serving their country?
Prayers.
Hey, now.
I enjoyed my time serving on the USS Peleliu. Almost the same kind of ship as the Essex.
This is horrific. Hope they find the Marine.
Sailors often have stronger loyalty for an older ship. They thing they’re all that’s keeping her going.
What kind of sailor would want to serve on such a rust bucket?
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Always good to hear from the Experts.
Experts are sometimes referred to as Sexual Intellectuals.
Of course some people actually believe that life at sea is boring and nothing to do or believes the scuttlebutt that comes from the recruiting ads.
Prayers for the Marine, then again there is a chance he may be ‘hiding’ aboard BUT am sure a complete search has been conducted prior the ‘official release’ YES, they were searching the sea while searching the spaces and there are several ships and men searching for this lone Marine.
If he isn’t overboard, and is found ‘hiding’ he may wish he were overboard.
Kind of like people not REALLY understanding why Birdhall(??) is/was so despised by Military types. ESPECIALLY those that were involved in ‘searching’ for him and those that didn’t return.
He may end up at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. I was stationed there when it had a bomb wing and a missile wing and it was one fast-paced busy base.
Cold as heck but pretty nice if you decide to grow wherever you are planted.
Some people really take to the Far North. Coast Guards fight over Kodiak, AK.
When deployed on the Tarawa (LHA-1) in the early 80’s we had a man blown overboard by a Harrier...about half way between the Philippines and Australia.
That’s an enormous body of empty ocean. And it was by no means “smooth as glass”.
The good news is he was wearing a vest.
The bad news is they sent a CH-53 to pick him up. The downward thrust was so severe it pushed him under and he drowned.
That is not a rust bucket. It’s a relatively new ship.
Any red/orange/yellow you pick up from a distance is either red lead primer or whatever that yellow aluminum stuff is.
She’s a fine ship. And badass.
Thanks bro. 😁👍
That's called the "Well Deck". I believe that is an LCM, Landing Craft-Medium, used to carry trucks, troops, & supplies to the beach, that is entering the Well Deck in that photo.
During a joint training exercise in South Korea, my USMC company was scheduled to re-embark on our ship via the smaller "P" boats, Landing Craft-Personnel (IIRC). However, the sea state was high enough that there were waves breaking INSIDE the Well Deck. We ended up flying out to the ship on CH-46 helos.
I was one to the pilots on a 6 bird flight from NC to Homestead, FL to Grand Turk to Roosevelt Roads, PR back about 1978. We knew back then that we did not have "Self Rescue" capability, due to the extreme rotor wash, so we had an Air Force C-130 with rescue jumpers fly along as escort.
In the case you mentioned, the rotor wash probably did not push him under, rather the intensity of spray driven by the rotor wash made it impossible for him to breathe.
When refueling at civilian airports we had to be very careful not to hover near other aircraft. Folks get a mite testy when you blow all those Cessnas, Pipers & Beechcraft into a heap.
I know all about Grand Forks. I was born and raised there. I played high school hockey there. I scored the winning goal in the first game ever played at the 7th Ave ice rink. I went to UND for awhile, but I couldn’t handle going to college full time and working full time. That’s why I ended up as an enlisted guy. Several high school classmates still live in Grand Forks.
I told my son, don’t EVER be a lowly enlisted guy. That’s why he decided he would be an officer.
I heard Global Hawk flies out of Grand Forks, but I thought all the pilots actually flew them from Creech.
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