USS Theodore Roosevelt Sailor Who Went Overboard Identified

SAN DIEGO, CA — U.S. Navy officials publicly identified a sailor from the San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt who died after going overboard last week.

The sailor was identified as Ethan Garrett Goolsby, 20, of Texas, according to the Navy. He served as an aviation ordnanceman airman apprentice.

Goolsby reported to the USS Theodore Roosevelt in July after his initial training as an aviation ordnanceman in Pensacola, Florida. He was promoted to his current rank on Sept. 16.

"The loss of our Sailor is felt deeply by all on board," said Capt. Eric Anduze, commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt. "The entire Theodore Roosevelt team sends our deepest condolences to the family of our missing shipmate."

Search and rescue efforts began around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, when a lookout aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier spotted what appeared to be a person in the water, according to the Navy.

Search efforts from the ship and five other vessels ended at sunset on Saturday. Navy crews and the U.S. Coast Guard searched more than 607 square nautical miles for more than 55 hours off the coast of Southern California.

The sailor's family was notified before the search stopped.

"The Carrier Strike Group Nine team sends our thoughts and prayers to the family and loved ones of our missing shipmate," said Rear Admiral Doug Verissimo, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine. "I offer my thanks to all the Sailors and Coast Guardsmen who were involved in the search."

The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego on Dec. 7 for an exercise at sea ahead of its second deployment of the year, according to USNI News. The ship returned in July from a deployment where roughly a quarter of the crew became infected with COVID-19.

The ship is set to change its homeport from San Diego to Bremerton, Washington, for an overhaul in the summer of 2021, then return to San Diego on Aug. 1, 2021.

City News Service contributed to this report.