MANAMA, Bahrain (WAVY) — A sailor assigned to the locally-based guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham died overseas, according to U.S. Navy officials.
The Navy said 23-year-old Ensign Sarah Mitchell, of Feasterville, Pennsylvania, died from injuries she sustained while conducting small boat operations on July 8.
Officials say the ship, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk, is deployed to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, an area that covers 2.5 million square miles of water in the Middle East.
Mitchell was taken to a hospital in Aqaba, Jordan, where she was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m., local time.
A former Virginia Tech student, Mitchell enlisted in the Navy in 2013.
At the time of her death, she was an officer in training for surface warfare.
“These losses are a solemn reminder that our business is inherently dangerous, but through training and pertinent planning, we always trying to mitigate the risk to our personnel, who are our most valuable asset,” Colonel Rob Manning said during a press briefing.
Officials are investigating the circumstances of Mitchell’s death.
