A U.S. Marine missing during a training exercise off the Southern California coast has entered recovery operations after an extensive search spanning about 2,400 square miles, with Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force resources deployed.
The lights over Southern California were still dim when the search began. Around 1:20 a.m. Thursday, authorities started looking for a U.S. Marine who went missing during a training exercise off the coast.
Nearly two full days later, the Navy shifted from search to recovery operations.
The effort covered roughly 2,400 square miles and brought together personnel from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force. Teams used three surface ships and 12 aircraft as they combed the ocean and airspace above it.
The Marine was serving on the transport dock ship USS Anchorage. He went missing during a training operation involving the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
Officials have not identified the Marine. The Navy also has not disclosed the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, saying the name will be withheld until after the family is notified.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who are affected during this difficult time,” the Navy said in a news release.
The search is the second time in recent weeks that the U.S. military has searched for missing service members. The Associated Press reported that the remains of two Army soldiers who went missing while off duty from military exercises in Morocco were recovered in May.
For now, the operation off the San Diego coast has moved into a different phase—when hope must share space with the harder work of finding what’s there.
U.S. Marine missing San Diego coast USS Anchorage training exercise Navy recovery operations Coast Guard 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group search and rescue