Search turns to recovery for Marine missing from USS Anchorage off California coast

Efforts to find a Marine who went missing from the USS Anchorage during integrated training off the Southern California coast have shifted to a recovery mission, Navy officials said.

The Marine was aboard the ship as part of training with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton, and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, Navy officials said.

The search began Thursday and turned into a search-and-recovery operation Friday, involving three surface ships and 12 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force, officials said. The search covered about 2,400 square miles, they said.

The Navy said it was withholding the Marine’s name pending family notification. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who are affected during this difficult time,” the service said in a news release. The USS Anchorage is an amphibious transport dock based at Naval Base San Diego, the Navy said.

The Navy said this is at least the second time in six weeks the U.S. military has conducted a search for missing service members. The Army said in May that the remains of the second of two soldiers who went missing during training exercises in Morocco were recovered after a multinational search that used air, naval and artificial intelligence assets.

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