THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170298
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
A sailor who fell overboard from the Norfolk-based carrier America was declared missing Friday and presumed dead.
The victim was identified as Joshua A. Corley, 21, a boiler technician from Greenwood, Miss. Corley was spotted in the water Thursday morning by an aft lookout aboard the America, which was taking on supplies from another ship 150 miles east of the Azores.
Crews from the guided-missile cruisers South Carolina and Normandy, as well as several helicopters, searched for Corley all day Thursday, through the night, and all day Friday before he was declared missing.
Cmdr. Paul Weishaupt, a spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet, said an investigation was under way to determine how Corley went into the water. It was not known if the sailor was wearing a flotation device, Weishaupt said.
Although the weather was clear, the seas at the time were reported to be 10 to 12 feet, with winds up to 25 knots.
The America battle group is bound for Norfolk, having completed a six-month deployment. Weishaupt said the group is still scheduled to arrive on Saturday, Feb. 24.
In November, a Marine attached to the carrier fell from the ship in the Arabian Sea and was in the water 36 hours before he was rescued by fishermen from Pakistan.
KEYWORDS: DROWNING MAN OVERBOARD LOST AT SEA U.S.S AMERICA by CNB