U.S. Marine of Nigerian Descent Dies After Falling Overboard From Warship in Caribbean

A U.S. Marine of Nigerian descent has died after falling overboard from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima during deployment in the Caribbean.

Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka Oforah, 21, an infantry rifleman assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, went into the sea on February 7 while the ship was conducting operations in the region. Military authorities declared him deceased on February 10 after a 72-hour search-and-rescue mission failed to find him alive.

In a statement, the II Marine Expeditionary Force said the incident prompted a large-scale rescue effort involving naval vessels, aircraft and specialised teams.

Col. Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, said the unit was grieving alongside Oforah’s family and described the loss as deeply felt across the Navy–Marine Corps team.

Oforah enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2023. He completed training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and was later assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. At the time of the incident, he was deployed aboard the USS Iwo Jima as part of Battalion Landing Team 3/6.

According to military officials, the search covered a wide area of the Caribbean Sea and involved five U.S. Navy ships, a rigid-hull inflatable rescue boat and ten aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, including helicopters and surveillance planes.

The circumstances surrounding how Oforah fell overboard remain under investigation by the Naval Safety Command and Naval Surface Force Atlantic.

His death is the first publicly announced fatality linked to Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. mission focused on intercepting suspected drug trafficking vessels and enforcing maritime restrictions around sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments.

The USS Iwo Jima remains deployed as part of an expanded U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean amid ongoing regional security operations.