Search Called Off For American Crewman

A search was called off Thursday for a crewman who went overboard from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Airman Heath Christian Cordeiro, 23, from Longview, Texas, was lost in the Mediterranean southwest of Crete on Wednesday night, the 6th Fleet reported from its headquarters in Gaeta, Italy.

There is “no hope of finding the individual alive,” said Cmdr. Mike John, a spokesman for the fleet.

A sailor who saw Cordeiro go overboard immediately threw a life ring and sounded an alarm. Within about 20 minutes, small boats and two helicopters from the carrier had begun the search.