A U.S. Marine went missing during a nighttime training exercise off the Southern California coast aboard the USS Anchorage, triggering a multi‑agency search.

This incident follows another missing‑person search during exercises in recent weeks, after two Army soldiers were recovered in Morocco in May as part of a multinational operation.

The search involved the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and is the second major missing‑service‑member search in a short span.

The Associated Press contributed to the report.

The USS Anchorage is an amphibious transport dock ship based at Naval Base San Diego.

About 2,400 square miles were covered in the search, which involved three surface ships and 12 aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force.

The search area encompassed roughly 2,400 square miles.

Initial search began Thursday and transitioned to a recovery mission on Friday, with assets including three surface ships and 12 aircraft from multiple services.

The Navy said its thoughts and prayers are with the family, and the Marine’s name was withheld pending family notification.

From search‑and‑rescue to search‑and‑recovery, officials shifted the objective Friday evening as efforts continued to locate the Marine.

The Navy transitioned to a recovery operation after nearly two days, with the Marine’s identity withheld pending family notification.

The missing service member was part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.