Two more fatalities - Aberdeen Proving Ground

[DandyDon]

Two reported dead in Aberdeen Proving Ground diving accident Tuesday - baltimoresun.com

Two people died as a result of a diving accident at Aberdeen Proving Ground on Tuesday afternoon, the Army confirmed.
The deaths were said to be two Navy divers who were working in the installation's Underwater Explosion Test Facility, also known as the "super pond," where a civilian diver employed by the Army died in an accident on Jan. 30, several Harford County emergency response sources said.
One source said the divers were in cardiac arrest when they surfaced and had been working in the pond on air hoses, not self-contained breathing units, and were tethered to each other.
"Emergency personnel from Aberdeen Proving Ground Emergency Services responded to an incident at the Unexploded Ordnance Range pond," the APG Public Affairs Office said in a media advisory issued shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday. "The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. One victim was declared deceased at the scene. A second victim was transported to a local medical facility and was pronounced dead."
The names of the deceased are being withheld pending family notification, the advisory said.
No civilian dive teams were called to APG to assist in any rescue or recovery operations, Harford emergency officials said. The volunteer Aberdeen Fire Department did, however, send a unit to the installation to provide backup for APG's regular fire department.
In the previous accident, George H. Lazzaro Jr., 41, from Nottingham in Baltimore County, died while "completing routine underwater test infrastructure maintenance" in the super pond, the Army said at the time. Mr. Lazzaro was employed by Firepower Directorate, part of APG's Aberdeen Test Center that has jurisdiction over the super pond. The cause of death has not been made public.
The super pond is a 150-foot-deep, inland pond near Bush River that is designed for shock testing of marine vessels. The pond was built in the early 1990s.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

UPDATE: Diving Accident Claims Two Navy Divers

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Navy Diver 1st Class James Reyher, 28, of Caldwell, Ohio, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Ryan Harris, 23, of Gladstone, Mo., died while conducting dive operations at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Md., Feb. 26.

Harris and Reyher were assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, located at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Ft. Story.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our teammates." said Capt. John Coffey, Deputy Commander, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group Two. "Petty Officer Harris and Petty Officer Reyher were exceptional Sailors. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and shipmates during this difficult time."

Harris enlisted in the Navy on June 13, 2007 and graduated from Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill. in Aug., 2007. Harris successfully completed dive training at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla. and was designated a Navy Diver in Apr., 2008. He served at Navy Submarine Support Facility in New London, Conn. from May, 2008-June, 2011, before reporting to MDSU-2 in June, 2011.

Reyher enlisted in the Navy on May 28, 2008 and graduated from Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill. in July, 2008. Reyher successfully completed dive training at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla. and was designated a Navy Diver in Feb., 2009. He served at Naval Intermediate Maintenance Facility Pacific Northwest from March, 2009-April 2012 before reporting to MDSU-2 in April 2012.

"Ryan and James epitomized the unsung hero persona of the Navy Diver. We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve with them," said CDR Michael Runkle, Commanding Officer, MDSU-2. "We are all deeply saddened by their loss and are focusing on supporting their families during this time of need."

EODGRU-2 is conducting an investigation into the deaths of the Sailors.

 

[jewelofnile69]

RIP to these two men who gave their lives to not only doing something they had to have loved to have gotten into it in the first place, but to also dedicating their young lives to the service. My heart goes out to these two gentlemen's families!

 

[bankyf]

I know we shouldn't speculate, but I seriously doubt we will ever know the true cause of death. Based on the facts presented, this sure sounds like contaminated surface supplied air(or a lack of surface supplied air).

 

[WheelsUSN]

2 Navy members face military criminal charges in drowning deaths of 2 divers | Fox News

 

[webedivin2000]

This is one of the most Elite Dive teams the Navy has! To loose two divers in one accident poses some questions for sure. As far as the bad air, well lets just say the I do not think we will ever know, however I know as a fact that they were on scuba, not surface supplied. I'll leave the rest to the navy to see if they come forward with additional facts.
RIP all military members that have lost their lives and thank you to all that serve our country.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

Administrative and Disciplinary Actions Administered To MDSU Two Sailors

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Story Number: NNS130814-19Release Date: 8/14/2013 4:49:00

From Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 Public Affairs
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Administrative and disciplinary actions were administered to Sailors assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) Two Aug. 6-13 as a result of a Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Article 32 investigation surrounding the deaths of two Navy divers during a training dive in February.

The investigating officer overseeing the Article 32 investigation, Capt. Holiday Hanna, former Force Judge Advocate, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., submitted his recommendations to Rear. Adm. Frank Morneau, commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), July 19, following the UCMJ Article 32 investigation hearing held June 19-20 at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va.

After reviewing the final report from Hanna, Morneau referred the case to commander, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) Two, Capt. John Coffey, for administrative and disciplinary actions, as appropriate.

EODGRU Two, which oversees MDSU Two, completed a command investigation into the events leading up to the deaths of the Navy Divers and a separate safety investigation initiated by NECC is still ongoing.

Navy Diver 1st Class James Reyher, 28, of Caldwell, Ohio, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Ryan Harris, 23, of Gladstone, Mo., drowned while conducting a training exercise at the Underwater Test Facility, Aberdeen Test Center (ATC), Aberdeen, Md. The two divers were assigned to MDSU Two, based in Virginia Beach.

 

[mmadiver]

For those that have been following this tragedy:

"The findings of a Navy Experimental Diving Unit investigation completed the month after the incident show that faulty maintenance of the gear, along with its poor performance in cold-water situations, may have sped up their deaths."

The regulators in question were Apeks TX-50.

More info here:

Report finds problems with gear used by sailors in fatal dive | Navy Times | navytimes.com

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Here's an article from the Washington Post. Reads like a series of very bad decisions and a culture that views "No" as a fatal weakness:

Court-martial set to start for Navy supervisor in connection to 2 divers? deaths - The Washington Post

- Ken

 

[rusti999]

Another update:

Navy diver heroic to the last breath | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

As they slowly asphyxiated at the bottom of a pond last year, two Navy divers shared something extraordinary: the choice to die together rather than abandon a fellow sailor.

That selflessness went with Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Harris and Petty Officer 1st Class James Reyher to their deaths on Feb. 26, 2013 – undiscovered until a Navy investigator reconstructed the events.

The investigation, conducted more than 16 months ago, was released last week to The Virginian-Pilot under the Freedom of Information Act. It pinpointed a series of failures that contributed to the training accident that day at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland: bad leadership, poor decision-making and faulty equipment.

But none of that could blunt the heroism that the investigator discovered between the two drowning men: With Reyher trapped by debris at the bottom of the pond, Harris remained at his side, struggling to free his buddy until both men died.