The US Navy has released the identity of an officer lost in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea on July 1, 2026.
The helicopter crash led to an intensified search that lasted over 102 hours in the hunt to locate the missing sailor.
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday, July 7, revealed the identity of the missing Oregon sailor as Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, a native of Oakland, a town located in Douglas County near Sutherlin.
According to the US 5th Fleet, the crew aboard an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the USS George HW Bush made an “emergency landing” in the ocean at dawn on July 1.
The Navy rescued three of the helicopter’s four sailors amid search efforts that continued for Edwards in the following hours and days.
On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew…
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 1, 2026
The search operation involved over 14,000 square kilometers and several aircraft carriers, guided missile destroyers, helicopter squadrons, anti-submarine squadrons and US Air Force aircraft, according to the US Navy.
Who was Cdr. Gabriel Edwards?
Commander Gabe Edwards has served in the US Navy for the past two decades.
Edwards graduated with a degree in physics from Norfolk State University in 2006 and was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy through Naval ROTC, a prestigious US Navy program where students are trained to become officers in the US Navy or US Marine Corps.
After graduating from flight school in 2008 with years of flying experience, Edwards took command of his squadron, HSC-5 Nightdippers in July 2025.
Cdr. Edwards is survived by his wife Rebecca and two children.
The US Navy is investigating the cause of the helicopter crash; however, it has ruled out any possibility of being shot down by enemy action.
