JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida sailor who was presumed dead after he was reported missing from a U.S. Navy warship last week in the Philippine Sea was found alive Thursday aboard the ship, the Navy said in a news release.
Peter Mims, 23, of Interlachen, was hiding in the engine room on the ship, according to a report from the Navy Times, citing two sources familiar with the situation.
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Mims, who was reported missing June 8, was believed to have fallen into the sea from the USS Shiloh during routine operations about 180 miles east of Okinawa, Japan. An extensive search-and-rescue effort was suspended Sunday.
Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Knight said Mims, who was a gas turbine systems technician on the ship, will be transferred to the USS Ronald Reagan for a medical evaluation.
It's unclear how Mims survived a week in the engineering space, the Navy Times reported.
The U.S. Navy and Japanese military spent more than 50 hours searching about 5,500 square miles of the Philippine Sea for Mims. Knight said the crew of the Shiloh continued their search on the ship after the search was suspended.
"We are thankful to have found our missing shipmate and appreciate all the hard work of our sailors and Japanese partners in searching for him," Rear Adm. Charles Williams said in a news release. "I am relieved that this sailor's family will not be joining the ranks of Gold Star families that have sacrificed so much for our country."
The Navy is investigating the circumstances surrounding Mims' disappearance.
Mims enlisted in 2014 and reported to the Shiloh in August of that year.