A 19-year-old US Navy seaman was declared lost overboard while engaged in operations in the Baltic Sea.
The sailor was identified by the Navy as Seaman Recruit David L. Spearman, who jumped overboard from the guided-missile warship USS Arleigh Burke on August 1 near Helsinki, Finland.
The missing sailor’s identity as Spearman was also verified by the North Carolina native’s family on August 3.
According to ABC News 13, Spearman completed naval boot camp in 2022 and served a deployment on the USS Arleigh Burke.
On Thursday, the US Fleet Forces Command sent a statement to their website, “The U.S. Navy identified the Sailor assigned to USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) lost overboard while operating in the Baltic Sea August 1, as North Carolina native Seaman Recruit David L. Spearman.”
On Tuesday, the Navy suspended its efforts to find and save the young sailor.
The Swedish and German Navies, together with the U.S. Navy, were thanked by USS Arleigh Burke Commanding Officer Cmdr. Pete Flynn. For their extended efforts in looking for our shipmate, we thank the Air Force and the sailors aboard Arleigh Burke.
The Navy declared the search to be abandoned late on Tuesday after undertaking search and rescue operations.
David L. Spearman, a North Carolina native who has trained at the Surface Warfare Engineering School Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, joined the Arleigh Burke in April.
The destroyer is headquartered in Rota, Spain, and is a component of Task Force 65 of the Navy, which supports the U.S. 6th Fleet’s regional allies and partners.
