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"Wife never knew her husband was missing"
"His phone call from safety was first she heard of his troubles."

This is great! Similar story: I don't know if this made the news, but I was on active duty after 9-11 and we had an 18 year old kid fall overboard from one of our ships in the Arabian Sea. Search and Rescue couldn't find him and I believe that after a couple of days the search was cancelled.
This kid paid attention to swim training in boot camp however and kept afloat by using his pants, as he was taught. He was eventually picked up by Pakistani fishermen who took him back to their village. This village had no telephone so there was another delay while he was transported to the next larger village with a phone. I believe that a week had gone by at this point. Well, the young seaman gets on the phone and who does he call but his mom!!! Mom calls someone in the Navy back in the States and eventually the right people get the word and the seaman is returned to his ship. Alls well that ends well!!!

we had an 18 year old kid fall overboard from one of our ships in the Arabian Sea.

That's quite a story - the fact he was found. We had sailor miss muster the day of a missile shoot - Our sick captain decide to sail 100 miles to the shoot, then went back the next day to find the lost soul - never did.

Also had two newbies 'jump ship' leaving Subic bay for a three week exercise - both drowned.