| Submit your comments on this article |
| Britain |
| Two U.S. Sailors Killed After Falling Overboard From Nuclear Sub |
| 2006-12-30 |
| LONDON — Two U.S. sailors died after waves swept them from the deck of a nuclear submarine off the coast of southwestern England on Friday, British coast guards said. The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul was leaving Plymouth harbor in rough weather around midday, said Sean Brooks, a coast guard spokesman. Four sailors were tied to the vessel with ropes — a routine precaution — but two fell into the surging water. British rescue boats picked up all four, Brooks said. Lt. Chris Servello, a spokesman for the U.S. 6th Fleet in Naples, southern Italy, said the four men were taken to hospital in Plymouth, where two were pronounced dead. The two survivors were treated for minor injuries and discharged, he said. No one else was injured. Coast guard spokesman Brooks said authorities received a request for assistance from the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul at 12.50 p.m. and sent a search and rescue helicopter and a lifeboat to the scene. Brooks said that rescuers initially saw two sailors tied to the vessel's hull with ropes. "Because of the violent weather, they were frequently plunged below the waves," he said. "It then transpired that there were already two other guys in the water." "They managed to fish everybody out of the water," Brooks said. Servello, the U.S. Navy spokesman, said the submarine had just completed a weeklong layover in Plymouth and was heading out to sea for routine duties. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 God bless them and their families. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-12-30 18:23 |
| #5 Yes it is a dangerous profession. From Powerline - Even in peacetime. The media's breathless tabulation of casualties in Iraq--now, over 1,800 deaths--is generally devoid of context. Here's some context: between 1983 and 1996, 18,006 American military personnel died accidentally in the service of their country. That death rate of 1,286 per year exceeds the rate of combat deaths in Iraq by a ratio of nearly two to one. That's right: all through the years when hardly anyone was paying attention, soldiers, sailors and Marines were dying in accidents, training and otherwise, at nearly twice the rate of combat deaths in Iraq from the start of the war in 2003 to the present. Somehow, though, when there was no political hay to be made, I don't recall any great outcry, or gleeful reporting, or erecting of crosses in the President's home town. In fact, I'll offer a free six-pack to the first person who can find evidence that any liberal expressed concern--any concern--about the 18,006 American service members who died accidentally in service of their country from 1983 to 1996. full article here. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2006-12-30 17:38 |
| #4 RIP. My condolences and thanks to the families. Military service is a dangerous job even in the most peaceful of times. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2006-12-30 15:25 |
| #3 Yes, rest in peace, good seamen. I imagine rough weather off the coast of Plymouth is REALLY rough this time of year too. |
| Posted by: BA 2006-12-30 11:08 |
| #2 Rest in peace. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2006-12-30 10:24 |
| #1 As an old nuke submariner, it's never easy at sea or in port. Guys would die at any time. Hat's off to unknown shipmates. Rest in peace. |
| Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 2006-12-30 01:38 |