The two Navy SEALs missing January 11, 2024 during a ship-boarding operation off of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, have been declared dead. Fair winds and following seas. We don’t deserve men such as those.

Navy SEALs Christopher J. Chambers and Nathan Gage Ingram died on Jan. 11 while conducting a night-time seizure of a vessel illegally transporting advanced weapons from Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen

Ingram fell into the dark, raging ocean and Chambers immediately jumped in to… pic.twitter.com/QRoxYOkEr7

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) January 23, 2024

From The Navy Times:

CENTCOM announced Sunday that search and rescue operations for Chambers and Ingram had concluded, and both were considered deceased.

Chambers, originally from Maryland, enlisted in 2012 and graduated from SEAL qualification training in Coronado, Calif., in 2014.

Gage, originally from Texas, enlisted in 2019 and graduated from the same SEAL training in 2021. They both were assigned to West Coast-based SEAL units.

“We extend our condolences to Chris and Gage’s families, friends, and teammates during this incredibly challenging time,” Capt. Blake Chaney, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1, said in a statement Monday. “They were exceptional warriors, cherished teammates, and dear friends to many within the Naval Special Warfare community.”

Those aboard the dhow, which did not have a country flag, were planning to transfer the missile parts, including warheads and engines, to another boat off the coast of Somalia, the Associated Press reported earlier this month, citing a U.S. defense official.

The Navy recognized the boat as one with a history of transporting illegal weapons from Iran to Somalia, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not made public.

These Navy SEALs operated out of the USS Lewis B. Puller, an expeditionary sea base with the Fifth Fleet Area of Responsibility and named after the legendary Marine “Chesty” Puller.

More from The Navy Times:

“…the combatant command said that the mission resulted in the successful seizure of Iranian weapons.

“Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components,” CENTCOM said in a statement on Jan. 16. “Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea.”

The Navy has regularly conducted interdiction missions in the region, also intercepting weapons on ships that were bound for Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Officials have said that the SEAL mission was not related to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the ongoing U.S. and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted in Yemen in recent weeks.

One SEAL fell in and his shipmate went in after him. It doesn’t matter whether you call them shipmates (Navy), wingmen (Air Force), or battle buddies (Army) that’s what they do. It’s how they train and who they are. That’s something SecDef Lloyd Austin and the other “Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon” have forgotten. Looking at you, John Kirby.

We mourn the loss of our two brave Navy SEALs, and our hearts are with their families. The entire Department is united in sorrow today. We are grateful to all who worked tirelessly to try to find and rescue them.https://t.co/Th49V0e9W2

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) January 21, 2024

Someone from Yemen was not impressed.

I won’t insult you by posting Joe Biden’s X post. There are no bodies to bring home so there will be no “dignified transfer” for Biden to betray.

It's true. Joe Biden checked his watch during the dignified transfer of the servicemembers killing in Afghanistan at the airport. You can see him jerk his left hand to pull the watch out from under his sleeve, then look down at it. pic.twitter.com/M3QVzJbTIm

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) August 29, 2021

Here’s the thing. Americans know what they are signing when they join the military. They are signing a check payable for their lives. We, the Mothers, wives and children are very aware of this. We know that even their training is very dangerous We ask that you respect our loved ones. Use them sparingly. Ensure that our enemies are terrified of them. The Houthis are not afraid.

I have been thinking of the Navy Hymn all morning.

Fair winds and following seas.

Featured Image: U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa/flickr.com/cropped/Creative Commons