Famiy photo
Petty Officer Second Class Michael Holtz died when rough seas swept him from the deck of his submarine.
Posted on 01/02/2007 10:39:54 AM PST by SmithL
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The mother of an Ohio sailor who was killed when rough seas swept him from the deck of a U.S. nuclear submarine says her son was a quiet, unselfish man who enjoyed helping others and loved the Navy.
Famiy photo
Petty Officer Second Class Michael Holtz died when rough seas swept him from the deck of his submarine.
30-year-old Petty Officer Second Class Michael Holtz of Lakewood, Ohio was one of four sailors knocked off the Norfolk-based USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul as it was leaving the Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, England on Friday.
His mother, Rosemary Holtz of North Olmsted, says her son was a hero.
Holtz was a sonar technician and friends told 13News he was a bit of a prankster but was a serious, dedicated sailor.
Thomas Higgins (right) and his friend on USS Albuquerque.
Senior Chief Thomas Higgins, 45, of Paducah, Kentucky, also died.
Higgins was chief of the boat -- the highest ranking enlisted sailor on the submarine. It was an assignment he received after 25 years in the navy.
He nearly retired in 2001. His wife says he'd already filled out his retirement papers when terrorists attacked on September 11th.
"He was dedicated to serving his country, but he was dedicated to the sailors who worked with him," said friend and former shipmate Bruce Lee, a retired master chief who served with Higgins on USS Albuquerque.
The Navy says all of the sailors were tied to the vessel with ropes -- a routine procedure -- but were knocked into the water by surging waves.
The two survivors were treated for minor injuries and discharged.
The Navy says the accident remains under investigation.
I heard in one report that they were tethered to the boat. Did they drown while being dragged?
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I think it is interesting that the "COB" was on the deck at the time. Makes me wonder if they expected issues with the weather.
If they were tethered, they should have been retrieved fairly quickly---if someone was watching as they should.
Bet the sub commander will be beached and court-martialed.
I've not seen anything definitive, yet, but that is a possibility. I can imagine scenarios where they got tangled in their lines and were dragged, face-down in the water. Another possibility is that they were knocked unconscious or were battered by the waves against the pressure hull.
I served on board a fast attack sub. One of the most memorable moments was leaving Ft. Lauderdale (I was on deck) and having speed boats pass us by.
Not if the weather is really crappy and you lose the whole deck team overboard.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Captain relieved for cause.
I expect you're correct about that. There are enough people waiting for command, that any excuse is enough to send a Commanding Officer on his way in this brave, new Navy. Cdr. Mooney was truly one of the good guys, and the Navy hung him out to dry for the USS San Francisco grounding.
I've been wondering if at least some of them ended up in the water trying to rescue the first ones in. That would explain why some of them had fatal injuries, and others fared better.
"Eternal Father Strong To Save"
The Navy Hymn
Sailor Aviators Version
Eternal Father, Strong to Save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its' own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In dark'ning storms or sunlight fair.
O, Hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air.
But when at length our course is run,
Our work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that flew and sailed,
Let not one life in thee be failed,
But hear from heaven our sailors cry,
And grant eternal life on high.
May all our departed shipmates rest in peace.
WAV file
http://www.vpnavy.org/misc_02/eternal.wav
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