Story highlights Navy says Peter Mims admitted "disappearance was intentional"

Rescue teams scoured 5,500 miles of the Philippine Sea over a span of 50 hours

(CNN) The US Navy has punished a sailor who was presumed to be lost at sea, prompting a massive search and rescue operation, but was later found hiding on board.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter Mims, a gas turbine systems technician on the USS Shiloh, was believed to have gone missing on June 8 while the Shiloh was conducting routine operations 180 miles east of Okinawa, Japan. His disappearance prompted a search involving both American and Japanese ships scouring 5,500 square miles of the Philippine Sea over a span of 50 hours.

Mims had, in fact, never left the ship and was eventually found by his shipmates hiding in an engineering space, officials said.

It's not clear why he hid or how long he was planning on hiding.

Mims disappeared before a naval proceeding known as an "Admiral's Mast," during which time he admitted his appearance was intentional and said he took "steps to avoid being found by other Shiloh sailors who were actively attempting to locate him," Lt. Paul Newell, a spokesman for the Navy's 7th Fleet, told CNN.

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