2 SEALs lost in raid are named
Presumed dead in seas off Somalia
The Defense Department identified on Monday the two Navy SEALs who were lost at sea and died this month during a nighttime commando raid on a small ship carrying weapons components bound for Yemen.
Active-duty and veteran SEALs said it appeared that the men might have sunk quickly before they could be rescued, and that the circumstances of their deaths raised questions about the planning and conduct of the raid. An official investigation is pending.
Special Operator First Class Christopher J. Chambers, 37, and Special Operator Second Class Nathan Gage Ingram, 27, were lost on Jan. 11 when SEALs in two stealthy combat speedboats, shadowed by helicopters and drones, boarded a dhow, a type of small wooden cargo ship, in the Arabian
Sea off the coast of Somalia.
As the two men tried to climb a rope boarding ladder in rough seas, one fell into the ocean and another jumped into the water to attempt a rescue, according to defense officials who were briefed on the incident. Both SEALs were quickly lost in the waves.
A joint search operation by naval forces from the United States, Spain, and Japan spent over a week searching more than 21,000 square miles of ocean for the missing SEALs. The Defense Department declared on Sunday that the men were presumed dead.
They were assigned to SEAL Team 3, based in Coronado, Calif.
“We extend our condolences to Chris and Gage’s families, friends and teammates during this incredibly challenging time,” said Captain Blake L. Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, on Monday in a statement. “They were exceptional warriors, cherished teammate,s and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community.”
The boarding mission resulted in the seizure of Iranianmade ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components that the Defense Department said were intended for Houthi militants in Yemen. The 14 members of the dhow’s crew were taken aboard a Navy ship and the dhow was sunk, according to a statement by the Pentagon’s Central Command.
It was the first time that US forces had seized Iranian weapons being sent to the Houthi militants since they began launching attacks in November against ships in the Red Sea.