Navy launches search and rescue mission for sailor feared to have fallen from aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the North Arabian Sea

A search and rescue mission is underway for a missing USS Nimitz sailor on Sunday.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton are currently conducting search and rescue operations in the North Arabian Sea, according to a statement from the Navy. 

Officials said the sailor has been listed as 'duty status whereabouts unknown' on board the Nimitz since this Sunday morning.

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The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (pictured) and guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton are currently conducting search and rescue operations in the North Arabian Sea following reports of a missing sailor, according to a statement from the Navy

'The sailor was not located upon a search on board which resulted in a man overboard being called and the activation of the search and rescue,' Cmdr Rebecca Rebarich told ABC News. 

Authorities said the sailor’s name is being held in accordance with US Navy policy.

Since early June the Nimitz has been operating outside the Persian Gulf after deploying from San Diego.

It was the first carrier amid the COVID-19 pandemic to implement precautions and procedures to prevent an outbreak of the virus, according to USNI.

In early April, the carrier's crew of nearly 5,000 sailors were quarantined at its homeport in Bremerton, Washington.

Around the same time, the USS Theodore Roosevelt was crippled by an outbreak that sickened more than 1,000 sailors and led to the controversial termination of the ship's commanding officer.

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Authorities said the sailor’s name is being held in accordance with US Navy policy. Since early June the Nimitz (pictured) has been operating outside the Persian Gulf after deploying from San Diego

The Roosevelt was forced to pull into a port in Guam on March 27 amid a rapidly escalating COVID-19 outbreak. 

At the time, at least eight sailors had been infected, but over the weeks to come, the virus would spread to more than 1,150 crew members and kill one sailor.

The vessel remained stationed in Guam for 10 weeks as the ship was sanitized and sailors were taken off to be quarantined, treated or tested.

The USS Roosevelt finally returned to its homeport of San Diego in early July after six months at sea.