Search For Two Remaining Crewmembers Suspended

An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 went in the central Red Sea Sept. 22, while operating with the guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110).

Three personnel are accounted for and stable, according to a Navy release. The Navy said in a release Monday that SAR efforts for the remaining two crew members involved in accident were suspended Sept. 23 at approximately 1500 Bahrain time.

Navy officials have concluded that given the time elapsed since the incident, aircrew survivability was extremely unlikely. The location of the crash site is known, and an extensive area has been searched multiple times by various ships and aircraft.

Assisting in the search and rescue are USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS William P. Lawrence, USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) as well as MH-60S Knighthawks from HSC-6, and MH-60R Seahawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and one P-3 from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47.
 
The accident, which is under investigation by the Navy,  was not due to any sort of hostile activity, according to a Navy release.

(MH-60S Nighthawk pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.navy.mil