{"id":36856,"date":"2018-08-20T20:32:40","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T20:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/20\/search-continues-in-eastern-pacific-for-missing-lake-erie-sailor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:34:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:34:52","slug":"search-continues-in-eastern-pacific-for-missing-lake-erie-sailor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/20\/search-continues-in-eastern-pacific-for-missing-lake-erie-sailor\/","title":{"rendered":"Search continues for sailor lost at sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A sailor disappeared from the guided-missile cruiser Lake Erie <\/a>off the coast of California early Sunday and Navy and Coast Guard crews are canvassing a wide area looking for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipmates began searching for the sailor around 7 a.m. Sunday in California the service member failed to report for duty, according to a joint statement sent to Navy Times by the Point Loma-based 3rd Fleet and the U.S. Coast Guard\u2019s 11th District headquarters in Alameda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ticonderoga-class Lake Erie was operating with the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft carrier is homeported in Bremerton but the cruiser had sailed from San Diego and is not typically assigned to the strike group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lake Erie\u2019s crew conducted man overboard procedures and the strike group immediately began searching with vessels and aircraft. The sailor\u2019s next of kin were notified, according to 3rd Fleet spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John Fage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By mid-morning on Sunday the Coast Guard had scrambled aircraft from across California, including a medium range MH-60T Jayhawk <\/a>recovery helicopter from San Diego and two C-27J Spartan medium range surveillance aircraft <\/a>from Sacramento.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By late afternoon Monday off the coast of California, the Coast Guard had canvassed 4,835 square miles of ocean. The aviators rely on a software system that takes into account the known path of a vessel, sea conditions, tide patterns, weather and other factors to narrow where a lost sailor might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water temperatures off Baja are relatively warm and the Coast Guard is treating the case as if the sailor is wearing a life jacket or clinging to something that floats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still in that window,\u201d said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll, a career helicopter pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\t