Sailor thought dead after falling overboard was actually hiding out in the ship's engine room

US NavyA sailor on the USS Shiloh who was presumed dead after falling overboard was actually hiding out in one of the ship's engine rooms for the past week, David Larter of Navy Times reports.

Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Peter Mims was thought to have fallen off the Shiloh roughly 180 miles east of Okinawa, Japan on June 8. The man overboard incident triggered a massive search by both US and Japanese personnel that spanned 5,500 square miles.

Mims was presumed dead after three days of fruitless searching, which was the second such incident in recent days, after another sailor fell off the USS Normandy.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement on its website that Mims was found alive onboard the ship. The service said he would be transferred to the USS Ronald Reagan for medical care.

"We are thankful to have found our missing shipmate and appreciate all the hard work of our Sailors and Japanese partners in searching for him," Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Carrier Strike Group 5 and Task Force 70, said in a statement. "I am relieved that this Sailor's family will not be joining the ranks of Gold Star Families that have sacrificed so much for our country."

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