Missing USS Shiloh Sailor Identified, Search Continues

News from the U.S. Navy.
News in Balance:

YOKOSUKA, Japan, July 10, 2009 -- The U.S. Navy identified July 10 the missing sailor from USS Shiloh (CG 67) who fell overboard while the ship was transiting into Tokyo Bay.

Electrician's Mate 1st Class Christopher Geathers, 30, was conducting routine evolutions to rig shore power cables in preparation for the ship's return to port when witnesses reported that he fell from the fantail shortly after 1 p.m. local time July 8.

Geathers' home of record is Greenpond, S.C. He enlisted in the Navy in 1997. His previous duty stations include Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport, Fla.; USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Yokosuka, Japan; USS Cowpens (CG 63), Yokosuka, Japan; and USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), San Diego, Calif. His awards and decorations include three awards of the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

The incident occurred as USS Shiloh was returning to Yokosuka following a midshipman training cruise to Kure, Japan. The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, and a thorough investigation will be conducted.

The search for Geathers is continuing. USS Shiloh, as well as other units from the Japan Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, have been conducting a coordinated and extensive search mission since July 8.

(Report from a U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs news release.)

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