Missing Marine Sparks Multi-Agency Search off California Coast

A Marine who was aboard the USS Anchorage is reported missing after a training exercise off the Southern California coast, prompting a significant multi-agency search and recovery effort.

According to the Navy, the search began around 1:21 a.m. on Thursday following the report of the missing Marine during joint training exercises with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Details regarding the Marine’s identity will be withheld until next of kin have been informed, as per Navy protocol.

Transitioning from Search-and-Rescue to Recovery

The Navy expressed their thoughts and prayers for the families affected by this situation in a recent news release. As the operation unfolded, it transitioned from search-and-rescue to a search-and-recovery mission around 9 p.m. on Friday.

The operation included three surface ships and twelve aircraft from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Air Force. Over 43 hours, they covered approximately 2,400 square miles in their search efforts.

The USS Anchorage is an amphibious transport dock ship part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Navy for further updates on the situation.