[By Guancha Observer, Shanmao]

According to reports by USNI News and KUAM News, the US Navy announced on the 24th local time that it had suspended the search operation for a missing crew member aboard the USS Nimitz. On the 19th, the US Navy stated that during the stay of the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class (CVN-68), at Guam, a crew member went missing. The Guam Police Department immediately released photos, height, weight, and physical appearance information of the missing crew member, Gabriel D. Holt, to seek his whereabouts. The military also launched a search operation, but as no results were found, when the Nimitz departed from Guam on the 21st, the search for the missing crew member was still ongoing.

Photo of the missing crew member released by the Guam Police Department

At the time of the incident, the Nimitz strike group was docked at Guam for regular port visits, allowing the crew members to rest ashore. However, around midnight on that day, an eyewitness spotted crew member Gabriel Holt approximately 10 miles away from the Apra Harbor base, but this person was reported missing contact the next morning.

On April 18, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz docked at the Guam Naval Base. DVIDS

USNI News reported that in order to search for the missing crew member, the US Navy and Coast Guard deployed MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, P-8 patrol aircraft, the Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry, and 45-foot emergency response boats. The Guam fire rescue units also participated in the operation, conducting continuous searches for 120 hours in waters around Guam, with an area possibly referring to 11,000 square nautical miles. As of the announcement to temporarily suspend the search, the operation had been ongoing for five days.

In the press release after announcing the suspension of the search, the US Navy stated that the sailor went missing while the ship was docked at the Guam naval base and is now listed as "missing on duty." This situation has been communicated to the family.

The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, which will turn 50 years old this year (commissioned on May 3, 1975), set sail from the San Diego Naval Base in California on March 28th this year, embarking on its final deployment of its service life. Its accompanying Carrier Strike Group 11 includes the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer DDG-54 Curtis Wilbur, DDG-101 Gridley, DDG-108 Wayne E. Meyer, and DDG-123 Lena S. Hickey. It carries Carrier Air Wing 17. On the 18th, the Nimitz strike group arrived at Guam to begin docking after crossing the Pacific Ocean. According to plans, after completing this deployment, the Nimitz will convert its homeport to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia by April 12th next year, enter a one-year maintenance period, and finally undergo fuel removal and retirement at the Newport News Shipbuilding Yard.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497130810521338402/

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