The Navy identified the two sailors who were lost at sea and presumed dead following the crash of a MH-60S Knighthawk operating in the Red Sea on Sunday, according to a late night Tuesday release from the service.
The sailors were identified as Lt. Cmdr. Landon L. Jones, 35, of Lompoc, Calif., and Chief Warrant Officer Jonathon S. Gibson, 32, of Aurora, Ore.
Three of the five crew were successfully rescued following the crash of the helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 operating from guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110).
The helicopter was part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, currently on station in the Red Sea as a contingency force in case of military action in Syria.
The crash was not due to “hostile activity,” according to 5th Fleet.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68), William P. Lawrence, USS Princeton (CG-59), USS Shoup (DDG-86), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) as well as MH-60S Knighthawks from HSC-6, and MH-60R Seahawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 and one P-3 from Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 all assisted in the search and rescue effort.
