The Navy identified the two SEALs who died following a boarding mission in the Arabian Sea earlier this month.
Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher Chambers, 37, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Ingram, 27, went missing during a mission to board a stateless dhow.
“On the evening of Jan. 11, Chambers and Ingram, both assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit, were reported missing at sea while they were conducting a night-time seizure of a vessel illegally transporting advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi forces in Yemen,” reads the Monday statement from Naval Special Warfare 1.
The pair was part of the mission to interdict the dhow off the coast of Somalia. The SEALs originated from the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3).
Chambers, from Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and entered Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) later that year. He was assigned to West Coast SEAL units starting in 2014, according to his official service biography.
Ingram, from Texas, joined the Navy in 2019 and graduated from BUD/S in 2021. He was assigned to a West Coast SEAL unit in 2021.
“We extend our condolences to Chris and Gage’s families, friends, and teammates during this incredibly challenging time. They were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community,” said Capt. Blake Chaney, commander, Naval Special Warfare Group 1.
Chambers and Ingram are the first U.S. military personnel to be killed in the Middle East since Houthi forces began attacking ships in the Red Sea. U.S. Central Command shifted from search and rescue efforts to a recovery mission after a ten-day search of more than 21,000 square miles by U.S., Spanish and Japanese naval units.
The circumstances around the boarding are under investigation, the statement reads.
