Two U.S. Sailors Missing After Oil Tanker Sinks
The U.S. Navy was searching for two U.S. sailors missing in the Persian Gulf after boarding a rickety tanker suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil in violation of U.N. sanctions.
The United Arab Emirates-flagged tanker sank early Sunday in the northern Persian Gulf, said Lt. Melissa Schuermann, a U.S. Navy spokeswoman in Bahrain. Six other Americans were rescued.
The missing Americans were identified as Petty Officer 1st Class Vincent Parker, 38, of Preston, Miss., and Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Johnson, 21, of Rochester, N.Y., a Pentagon official said.
Three members of the 14-person Iraqi crew were missing; the body of one crew member was recovered.
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