Newly-Enlisted Crewmember of Destroyer USS Arleigh Burke Lost at Sea

The U.S. Navy has identified the crewmember of the destroyer USS Arleigh Burke who was lost at sea on Monday. 

Seaman Recruit David Spearman, 19, reported to Arleigh Burke in April after completing basic training at Surface Warfare Engineering School Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. 

He went over the side on the afternoon of August 1 while Arleigh Burke was operating in the Baltic Sea. The destroyer worked with partner navies to conduct a search, but the effort was unsuccessful and was called off on August 2. An investigation into the circumstances of the casualty is ongoing.

“This bright, young man made an oversized positive impact on Arleigh Burke. My entire crew’s thoughts and prayers are with Seaman Recruit Spearman’s family and friends. We offer our most sincere condolences for their loss,” said Cmdr. Pete Flynn, commanding officer of USS Arleigh Burke. “Thank you to the Swedish and German navies, the U.S. Air Force, and the Sailors from Arleigh Burke for their extensive efforts to search for our shipmate."

Seaman Spearman ("Dee" to his friends) was a member of a family with a long tradition of U.S. Navy service, his mother told local media.

USS Arleigh Burke is homeported in Rota, Spain. She remains on mission in the Baltic, where she is assigned to escort the amphibs USS Kearsarge, Wasp, Arlington and Gunston Hall.