Navy Identifies Sailor Lost At Sea

A sailor lost at sea in the Persian Gulf two weeks ago has been identified as Seaman Apprentice Robert D. Macrum, 22, of Sugarland, Texas, the Pentagon said. Macrum, who was assigned to the San Diego-based cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59), was last seen the evening of Sept. 12 while the ship was underway as it conducted maritime security operations with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. Macrum failed to report for watch the morning of Sept. 13, prompting a shipwide search and subsequent four-day sea-and-air search over a 360-square-mile area, beginning from the Princeton’s position on the previous evening when the sailor was last seen, 5th Fleet said. The search ended Sept. 17. An investigation was launched into the circumstances of the sailor’s disappearance, 5th Fleet said. No conclusions have been announced. The Nimitz group, including Carrier Air Wing 11, concluded nine weeks of maritime security operations in the Gulf on Sept. 22.