U.S. Navy SEAL and former collegiate swimmer Chris J. Chambers has been declared lifeless after an 11-day search and rescue mission was known as off on Sunday. He was 37 years outdated.
Chambers swam for each the College of Massachusetts and the College of Maryland.
Positioned off the coast of Somalia, Chambers and fellow SEAL Workforce 3 member Nathan Gage Ingram have been assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Particular Warfare unit that was to raid a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen.
Chambers was a Navy Particular Warfare Operator 1st Class, whereas Ingram was 2nd Class.
Whereas climbing aboard the unflagged ship on Jan. 11, Ingram slipped whereas climbing the ladder onto the boat and fell between the vessel and the SEALs’ combatant craft within the water. In accordance with U.S. officers, as he went below, Chambers jumped into the hole to attempt to save him.
Officers mentioned that as a result of being weighed down by their physique armor, weapons, and heavy gear, Chambers and Ingram plunged into the depths of the Arabian Sea and died.
The search and rescue mission was formally known as off on Sunday and their names have been launched on Monday.
“Chris and Gage selflessly served their nation with unwavering professionalism and distinctive capabilities,” mentioned Capt. Blake Chaney, commander of Naval Particular Warfare Group 1, which oversees SEAL Workforce 3. “This loss is devastating for NSW, our households, the particular operations group, and throughout the nation.”
Chambers, a Maryland native, moved together with his household to Massachusetts earlier than his junior 12 months of highschool. Attending Westfield Excessive Faculty, he was the Massachusetts 2005 state champion within the 50 freestyle and likewise positioned third within the 100 free.
He then joined the College of Massachusetts for his freshman 12 months in 2005-06, after which transferred to the College of Maryland for the rest of his collegiate profession.
Whereas at Maryland, Chambers represented the Terrapins at three consecutive ACC Championships from 2007 to 2009. In his senior 12 months, he positioned thirty eighth within the males’s 200 free, forty sixth within the 100 free and forty seventh within the 50 free.
In 2012, he enlisted within the Navy and graduated from SEAL coaching in 2014. His awards embrace the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Fight “C” and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
Ingram, 27, of Texas, enlisted in 2019 and graduated from SEAL coaching in 2021.
Chambers and Ingram “have been distinctive warriors, cherished teammates, and expensive buddies to many inside the Naval Particular Warfare group,” Chaney added.
President Joe Biden launched an announcement mourning the demise of the 2 fallen heroes.
“These SEALs represented the perfect of our nation, pledging their lives to guard their fellow Individuals,” Biden mentioned. “Our hearts exit to the members of the family, family members, buddies, and shipmates who’re grieving for these two courageous Individuals.”
“Our total nation stands with you,” he added. “We’ll by no means fail to honor their service, their legacy, and their sacrifice.”
The U.S. Navy’s fifth Fleet is reportedly investigating the incident. The probe is anticipated to look at whether or not the SEALs have been correctly geared up and skilled for the mission, if procedures have been adopted, and any choices relating to the timing and approval of the raid, together with the climate and state of the seas.
The mission being carried out by Chambers and Ingram got here because the Yemen-based Houthis have been conducting a marketing campaign of missile and drone assaults in opposition to industrial and Navy ships within the Purple Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s warfare on Hamas within the Gaza Strip. Thus far, U.S. retaliatory strikes haven’t deterred their assaults.
