U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher/Released(WASHINGTON) — A missing sailor from the USS Shiloh who triggered a massive man overboard search in the Philippine Sea has been found alive on board the ship.
One week after he was declared missing, the sailor, 3rd Class Peter Mims, was found in the ship’s engineering spaces, according to a U.S. official.
Mims disappeared on June 8 while the Shiloh was operating 180 miles east of Okinawa. The U.S. Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and Japanese Coast Guard then spent over 50 hours and covered roughly 5,500 square miles looking for the sailor.
The search was suspended at midnight on June 11 and the Navy released the sailor’s name, presumably after he was determined to have been lost at sea.
After he was found in the engineering spaces of the Shiloh on Thursday, Mims was transferred to the USS Reagan for a medical evaluation. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are under investigation, a press release from the 7th Fleet said.
“We are thankful to have found our missing shipmate and appreciate all the hard work of our Sailors and Japanese partners in searching for him,” Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Carrier Strike Group 5 and Task Force 70, said in the statement. “I am relieved that this Sailor’s family will not be joining the ranks of Gold Star Families that have sacrificed so much for our country.”
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