U.S. authorities are updating their initial assessment regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Navy SEALs who perished during a mission to intercept an unmarked vessel transporting illicit Iranian-manufactured weaponry to Yemen.
Following further discussions with personnel involved in the operation, U.S. officials revealed on Wednesday that Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers was in the process of boarding the ship on January 11 when he inadvertently slipped into the gap created by the turbulent waves between the vessel and the SEALs’ combat craft. According to the Associated Press, as Chambers fell, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram leaped in an attempt to rescue him.
Initially, U.S. officials had indicated that Ingram had fallen into the water, with Chambers following suit. Both SEALs were lost at sea as rescue efforts proved unsuccessful.
Naval Special Warfare Command released a statement affirming that an ongoing investigation seeks to ascertain further details surrounding the event. Chambers, aged 37 and from Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and completed SEAL training in 2014. Ingram, aged 27 and hailing from Texas, enlisted in 2019 and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.
