Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
April 4, 2007
By Kate Wiltrout, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK — Christine Higgins stood at the end of the brow connecting the Minneapolis-St. Paul to Pier 3, a stack of commemorative coins in her hand.
As the crew departed the submarine Tuesday afternoon after six months at sea, she handed each sailor a heavy coin inside a clear plastic case. It was inscribed with her husband’s name, rank and dates of Navy service: Nov. 1981 - Dec. 2006.
Some of the sailors she patted on the back. Occasionally, she squeezed a sailor’s hand. A few locked eyes with her.
Higgins didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Actions speak loudest in the Navy’s undersea brotherhood – and Higgins’ presence spoke volumes.
Her husband – the chief of the boat, or “cob” – was one of two crew members killed Dec. 29 as the Los Angeles-class sub cruised out of a southern England port in heavy seas. They were among five men swept overboard while attempting to transfer an English harbor pilot to his boat.
Two sailors who had not been tethered to the submarine were rescued. A third sailor, who was tethered, was tossed back atop the hull by a wave, and crawled to safety in the sub through an escape hatch.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas K. Higgins and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Holtz, both tethered to the submarine, perished in the frigid water.
Tuesday, crew members wore black cloth bands on their left arms, embroidered in gold thread with Higgins’ and Holtz’s names and the words “Rest your oars shipmates.”
Holtz drowned, Phil McGuinn, a spokesman for the Atlantic fleet submarine force, said Tuesday.
Higgins died of blunt-force trauma to his head and drowning. Neither man was wearing a helmet, or a cranial, in Navy parlance.
As a result of the incident, Navy policy now requires any sailors who are tethered to wear cranials, McGuinn said.
Weeks after the deaths, the sub’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Edwin Ruff, lost his job. Ruff and his executive officer both received punitive letters of reprimand.
The accident – followed 10 days later by a collision between another Norfolk-based submarine and a shipping vessel in the Middle East – prompted the Navy to order a safety review for all subs.
The investigation into the Minneapolis-St. Paul deaths continues.
McGuinn said five factors appear to have contributed to the accident: failure to estimate the full impact of the weather; an improperly planned and executed transfer of the harbor pilot; restricted maneuverability to recover those swept overboard because of the sub’s location in shallow water; crew members’ remaining tethered to the submarine after being washed overboard; and failure of the harbor pilot to prepare and advise the ship.
The man tapped to replace Ruff, Cmdr. Chris Williams, didn’t comment on his predecessor Tuesday. He talked instead about how the crew of about 140 men handled the deployment after the deaths.
“They’re a great bunch of guys,” Williams said, glancing sideways at the Minneapolis-St. Paul, which will be deactivated this summer. “They wanted to honor their shipmates that did not come home. And they wanted to finish the mission they set out to do.”
The sub performed training exercises and classified missions, Williams said.
Master Chief Petty Officer Glen Kline stepped into Higgins’ role as chief of the boat. Kline knew Higgins – both had served in Groton, Conn. – and was on the selection board that certified Higgins to serve as a cob.
“He couldn’t have been happier,” Kline said of Higgins’ mood before heading out on the sub’s final deployment last October.
“It’s what he wanted to do.”
Kline got lots of advice about taking over Higgins’ role. Instead, “I just relied on a lot of my instincts,” he said .
“Everybody pulled together,” Kline said. “I could not believe how good they were doing when I got on board. I expected more sailors to have emotional problems” after the deaths.
Karen Tewart, mother of Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Tewart, said her son seemed resilient when she talked to him during the boat’s stopover in Portugal last week.
“Brian seems to have healed really well,” she said. “They seem to have really grown together as a cohesive unit.”
Other family members – especially those too young to understand the significance of the armbands or what Christine Higgins’ presence on the pier meant to the crew – simply reveled in the once-again familiar faces of their husbands and fathers, home at last.
“Daddy, how many years did you stay on the boat?” 5-year-old Christopher Bannon asked his father, a petty officer third class.
“Just half a year,” Jason Bannon said before scooping up his son and daughter and heading off the pier with his wife, eager to get back to the life he’d left behind.
April 4, 2007
By Kate Wiltrout, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK — Christine Higgins stood at the end of the brow connecting the Minneapolis-St. Paul to Pier 3, a stack of commemorative coins in her hand.
As the crew departed the submarine Tuesday afternoon after six months at sea, she handed each sailor a heavy coin inside a clear plastic case. It was inscribed with her husband’s name, rank and dates of Navy service: Nov. 1981 - Dec. 2006.
Some of the sailors she patted on the back. Occasionally, she squeezed a sailor’s hand. A few locked eyes with her.
Higgins didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Actions speak loudest in the Navy’s undersea brotherhood – and Higgins’ presence spoke volumes.
Her husband – the chief of the boat, or “cob” – was one of two crew members killed Dec. 29 as the Los Angeles-class sub cruised out of a southern England port in heavy seas. They were among five men swept overboard while attempting to transfer an English harbor pilot to his boat.
Two sailors who had not been tethered to the submarine were rescued. A third sailor, who was tethered, was tossed back atop the hull by a wave, and crawled to safety in the sub through an escape hatch.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas K. Higgins and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Holtz, both tethered to the submarine, perished in the frigid water.
Tuesday, crew members wore black cloth bands on their left arms, embroidered in gold thread with Higgins’ and Holtz’s names and the words “Rest your oars shipmates.”
Holtz drowned, Phil McGuinn, a spokesman for the Atlantic fleet submarine force, said Tuesday.
Higgins died of blunt-force trauma to his head and drowning. Neither man was wearing a helmet, or a cranial, in Navy parlance.
As a result of the incident, Navy policy now requires any sailors who are tethered to wear cranials, McGuinn said.
Weeks after the deaths, the sub’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Edwin Ruff, lost his job. Ruff and his executive officer both received punitive letters of reprimand.
The accident – followed 10 days later by a collision between another Norfolk-based submarine and a shipping vessel in the Middle East – prompted the Navy to order a safety review for all subs.
The investigation into the Minneapolis-St. Paul deaths continues.
McGuinn said five factors appear to have contributed to the accident: failure to estimate the full impact of the weather; an improperly planned and executed transfer of the harbor pilot; restricted maneuverability to recover those swept overboard because of the sub’s location in shallow water; crew members’ remaining tethered to the submarine after being washed overboard; and failure of the harbor pilot to prepare and advise the ship.
The man tapped to replace Ruff, Cmdr. Chris Williams, didn’t comment on his predecessor Tuesday. He talked instead about how the crew of about 140 men handled the deployment after the deaths.
“They’re a great bunch of guys,” Williams said, glancing sideways at the Minneapolis-St. Paul, which will be deactivated this summer. “They wanted to honor their shipmates that did not come home. And they wanted to finish the mission they set out to do.”
The sub performed training exercises and classified missions, Williams said.
Master Chief Petty Officer Glen Kline stepped into Higgins’ role as chief of the boat. Kline knew Higgins – both had served in Groton, Conn. – and was on the selection board that certified Higgins to serve as a cob.
“He couldn’t have been happier,” Kline said of Higgins’ mood before heading out on the sub’s final deployment last October.
“It’s what he wanted to do.”
Kline got lots of advice about taking over Higgins’ role. Instead, “I just relied on a lot of my instincts,” he said .
“Everybody pulled together,” Kline said. “I could not believe how good they were doing when I got on board. I expected more sailors to have emotional problems” after the deaths.
Karen Tewart, mother of Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Tewart, said her son seemed resilient when she talked to him during the boat’s stopover in Portugal last week.
“Brian seems to have healed really well,” she said. “They seem to have really grown together as a cohesive unit.”
Other family members – especially those too young to understand the significance of the armbands or what Christine Higgins’ presence on the pier meant to the crew – simply reveled in the once-again familiar faces of their husbands and fathers, home at last.
“Daddy, how many years did you stay on the boat?” 5-year-old Christopher Bannon asked his father, a petty officer third class.
“Just half a year,” Jason Bannon said before scooping up his son and daughter and heading off the pier with his wife, eager to get back to the life he’d left behind.