Pentagon names two SEALs lost in attack in Arabian Sea

The Defense Department on Monday identified the two Navy SEALs who were lost at sea and killed this month during a nighttime commando raid on a small ship carrying weapons parts bound for Yemen.

Active-duty and veteran SEALs said it appeared the men were quickly sunk before they could be rescued, and that the circumstances of their deaths raised questions about the planning and execution of the raid. An official investigation is underway.

Special Operator First Class Christopher J. Chambers, 37, and Special Operator Second Class Nathan Gage Ingram, 27, were lost Jan. 11 when SEALs in two stealthy combat speedboats, shadowed by helicopters and drones, boarded a dhow, a type of small wooden cargo ship, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia.

As the two men tried to climb a rope ladder in rough seas, one fell into the ocean and another jumped into the water to attempt a rescue, according to defense officials briefed on the incident. Both SEALs were quickly lost in the waves.

A joint search by naval forces from the United States, Spain and Japan searched over 35,000 square kilometers of ocean for over a week in search of the missing SEALs. The Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that the men were presumed dead.

They were assigned to SEAL Team 3, based in Coronado, California.

“We extend our condolences to the families, friends and teammates of Chris and Gage during this incredibly challenging time,” Capt. Blake L. Chaney, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, said in a statement Monday. “They were exceptional warriors, beloved teammates and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community.”

The boarding mission resulted in the seizure of Iranian-made ballistic missiles and cruise missile components that the Defense Department said were intended for Houthi militants in Yemen. The dhow's 14 crew were taken aboard a Navy ship and the dhow was sunk, a statement from the Pentagon's Central Command said.

It was the first time US forces seized Iranian weapons sent to the Houthi militants since they began launching attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in November.

Special Operator Ingram, originally from Texas, became a SEAL in 2021 and was on his first deployment, according to Navy records. Special Operator Chambers, from Maryland, had deployed a number of times since becoming a SEAL in 2013, leading the fight against Islamic State militants.

Their families could not be reached for comment.

A message sent by a SEAL officer to active-duty SEALs a day after the two men got lost and obtained by The New York Times said the younger SEAL had slipped off the ladder and his more experienced platoon mate went in afterwards. it. The report said a third SEAL also fell during boarding and struck the SEALs' speedboat before entering the water. That SEAL was quickly rescued, but the other two were lost.

The details of the accident have left many current and former SEALs confused, said Eric Deming, a retired senior SEAL chief who flew similar missions.

The Navy has used destroyers for this purpose repeatedly intercept ships carrying weapons bound for Yemen in recent years without incident. Why, Mr. Deming asked, did the SEAL task force commander decide to board a slow-moving dhow at night in dangerous seas rather than wait for better conditions?

It's standard practice for SEALs to carry flotation devices and locator beacons during missions, he said. If these security measures were followed and there were Navy speedboats and helicopters in the immediate area, Mr. Deming asked, how could two SEALs have been lost?

“For many of us, this doesn't make sense,” he said. “Something else must have gone wrong.”

Mr. Deming, as well as several active-duty SEALs who shared their views on the raid but declined to be quoted directly, suggested that the two men may have been carrying so much gear that they sank quickly despite wearing flotation devices.

The SEALs said standard operating procedures required Navy speedboats to rescue SEALs in the water; they wondered why one SEAL after another would have jumped off a ladder.

Navy Special Warfare, which includes the SEALs, declined to comment and said the incident remains under investigation.

“The details of what happened will be thoroughly investigated,” a spokesperson said. “Until then, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the details of the incident, nor to make assumptions about why our sailors went missing.”

Erik Schmitt reporting contributed. Susan Beachy research contributed.