An exhaustive 50-hour, 5,500-mile search for Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter Mims, who works as a gas turbine systems technician aboard the USS Shiloh, was conducted in the Philippine Sea after he was labelled missing June 8
With assistance from the Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Navy launched its search when the guided missile destroyer was about 180 miles east of Okinawa. Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan also helped in the search.
The Shiloh crew continued the hunt on board even after the ocean search had officially concluded, according to a 7th Fleet release. The Navy Times reports that Mims was found hiding in an engine room.
An investigation is underway, and the condition Mims was found in has not been made clear.
Mims, who first joined the service in 2014 and has received both Marine Corps and Naval achievement medals, will undergo medical evaluation on the USS Ronald Reagan, where a recommendation on further care will be made, according to Navy officials.
"We are thankful to have found our missing shipmate and appreciate all the hard work of our Sailors and Japanese partners in searching for him … I am relieved that this Sailor's family will not be joining the ranks of Gold Star Families that have sacrificed so much for our country," Carrier Strike Group 5 and Task Force 70 commander Rear Adm. Charles Williams said in a statement.
