Navy suspends search for sailor
who fell overboard from USS Kitty Hawk
By Rick Chernitzer,
Stars and Stripes
Navy officials on Saturday announced they suspended the search for a sailor who fell
overboard from the USS Kitty Hawk.
Fireman apprentice Bryant Leroy Davis, 20, who was reported overboard by the
Yokosuka-based aircraft carrier Wednesday afternoon, is presumed dead.
The sailor’s next-of-kin have been notified, according to Cmdr. Matthew Brown, a
7th Fleet spokesman.
Davis was a native of Chicago. Brown said he did not know how long the sailor had been
aboard. He also did not know if a memorial service has been planned.
A water safety instructor who talked to Stripes on Thursday said that water temperature
would play a big role in how long a sailor would be able to survive in the water.
"The body has a hard time maintaining its heat in any water below 85 degrees
Fahrenheit," said Staff Sgt. Tim Foster, who teaches survival, evasion, resistance
and escape techniques to Air Force pilots at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
Temperatures in the Arabian Sea are estimated to be between 70 and 80 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Another safety expert interviewed gave the harsh reality of a possible rescue.
"Even on a ship as big as the Kitty Hawk, I would say the chances of being rescued
are at about 90 percent," said Ensign Tracy Sicks, who serves on the
search-and-rescue team aboard the minesweeper USS Guardian, at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan.
The ship left port Oct.1, without its normal complement of aircraft and is reportedly
serving as a floating base in the Persian Gulf region for special forces and aircraft from
other Navy units.
Wayne Specht contributed to this report.
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