U.S. sailor overboard in Arabian Sea

Went missing during morning operation; water temperature at 79

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updated 5:34 p.m. ET Jan. 4, 2008

MANAMA, Bahrain - A sailor from USS Hopper went overboard during U.S. Navy operations in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. military said Friday.

The sailor went missing Thursday around 7:30 a.m. local time while the ship was conducting maritime security operations, according to a statement issued from the Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

"A 'man overboard' was immediately called and air and surface forces from the Hopper, USS Port Royal and USS Ingraham began conducting search and rescue operations," it said.

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The sailor, whose name was not released, has not been found but the search continues, the Navy said.

Lt. John Gay, spokesman for the Fifth Fleet, told The Associated Press that water temperatures in the part of the Arabian Sea where the sailor went overboard are about 79 degrees.

"He has been in the water for a relatively long time," Gay said. "But we are hoping that we will still be able to find him."

No further details were immediately available.

USS Hopper is deployed to the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of operations.

Bahrain an oil-refining and banking island in the Arabian sea, hosts the Fifth Fleet.