CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. -- Three sailors and 38 missiles on the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower were washed overboard early Tuesday morning off Cape Hatteras in the Navy's third accident in as many days, a Navy spokesman said.
Two sailors were plucked from the ocean by Navy rescue helicopters and crews searched for the third, said Lt. Commander Steve Burnett of the Atlantic Fleet headquarters in Norfolk, Va.
One of the rescued sailors was in critical but stable condition and the second was reported in good condition at the carrier's hospital. Names of the sailors were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Five men were killed and 19 injured Sunday when a fledgling pilot's landing attempt went awry on the carrier USS Lexington. On Monday, five sailors were hurt when a plane accidentally dropped a 500-pound bomb on the cruiser USS Reeves in the Indian Ocean.
Burnett said the sailors were moving gear and ordnance from a flight deck to a hangar deck below when they were washed over by waves during routine operations about 1:15 a.m. EST.
The carrier was in the midst of rain, moderate seas and winds at the time of the mishap, Burnett said.
Approximately 18 Sparrow missiles and 20 Sidewinder missiles were washed overboard and sank immediately, the spokesman said.
The missiles, which were armed with conventional warheads, sank in deep water and pose no danger, Burnett said.
Burnett said 15 pieces of equipment used to move smaller pieces of gear also were lost.
'They went into the water at 1:15 a.m., and (two) were rescued at 2:15 a.m.,' Burnett said. 'We have no idea now how they stayed afloat.'
Sometimes sailors wear floatation devices while working, depending on their station, Burnett said.,
'We are not sure exactly how they were washed overboard,' he said.
SH3H Seaking helicopters based at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station rescued the two sailors and were continuing the search for the missing man, Burnett said.
The Eisenhower's home port is in Norfolk. Burnett said the carrier was on routine operations when the accident happened. He said the Navy will launch an investigation immediately to determine what happened.
