The Navy has confirmed {that a} sailor assigned to a newly commissioned assault submarine was discovered injured Monday on a pier close to the place the boat was docked and was later pronounced lifeless.
The sailor, assigned to the USS Montana, was discovered unresponsive by one other crew member, in line with the Navy.
“The injured Sailor was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Middle and pronounced deceased,” Cmdr. Paul Macapagal, a spokesman for Submarine Power Atlantic, stated in a press release supplied to media retailers.
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The Montana is a brand-new submarine. Building of the boat started in 2018, and the vessel was handed over to the Navy by Huntington Ingalls in March 2022. The sub was commissioned in June 2022 however remains to be on the shipyard for post-shakedown upkeep.
Jeff Houston, a spokesman for the Naval Legal Investigative Service, confirmed that the legislation enforcement company “is conducting an intensive investigation into the loss of life of the Sailor, as we do in response to any non-combat, medically unattended deaths of Division of the Navy service members.”
Houston wouldn’t remark or affirm any particulars in regards to the incident, together with the time of day the sailor was discovered on the pier.
Todd Corillo, a spokesman for Huntington Ingalls’ shipbuilding division, stated that “out of respect for our buyer and to guard the privateness of navy households, Newport News Shipbuilding doesn’t talk about deaths of our U.S. Navy teammates, except a office accident.”
The Newport News shipyard and the circumstances that sailors reside underneath whereas stationed aboard ships present process work there have come underneath heightened scrutiny for the reason that revelation of a cluster of suicides aboard the plane provider USS George Washington that was first reported by Navy.com final April.
Since then, the Navy has launched official stories which have underscored tough circumstances, and members of Congress have weighed in to strain the service to enhance life for sailors.
Nevertheless, the submarine group can also be basically completely different from the floor Navy in that it’s made up solely of sailors who volunteered for the place.
Moreover, sailors within the submarine service endure a collection of screenings and exams to make sure that they’re extra resilient than their floor counterparts, given the potential for lengthy excursions undersea.
One main analysis, often known as “subscreen,” is carried out on the earliest phases of coaching and includes a 260-question check. The check asks would-be submariners every little thing from their emotions about serving on submarines, to claustrophobia and isolation, to suicide and despair.
The spokesperson for the Navy stated that they “deeply mourn the lack of our shipmate, and our ideas and prayers are with the Sailor’s household, mates and coworkers throughout this tough time.”
— Konstantin Toropin could be reached at konstantin.toropin@navy.com. Comply with him on Twitter @ktoropin.
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