Official announcements or policy documents from the U.S. Navy

Military Investigation Finds Navy SEALs' Drownings Off Somalia Due to Heavy Gear Preventable

Oct 11, 2024, 01:40 PM

Two U.S. Navy SEALs, Nathan Gage Ingram and Christopher Chambers, drowned during a nighttime boat raid off the coast of Somalia last January due to heavy personal gear, which caused them to sink almost immediately upon hitting the water. A military investigation released Friday found that the drownings were preventable and cited training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into turbulent waters. The SEALs were attempting to board a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen. The head of CENTCOM called the deaths 'preventable.'