Navy holds hearing in Va on deaths of divers in Md

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Navy holds hearing in Va on deaths of divers in Md
By BROCK VERGAKIS, Associated Press
Updated 6:59 pm, Wednesday, June 19, 2013

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Navy identified the two sailors on Wednesday who could face formal criminal charges in the drowning deaths of two divers at Aberdeen Proving Ground near Baltimore.

Senior Chief Petty Officer James Burger and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mark Smith were named during an Article 32 investigation hearing at Naval Station Norfolk. An Article 32 hearing is the military equivalent to a preliminary hearing or grand jury investigation. The commanding officer of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command will ultimately decide how the case proceeds.

The Navy is pressing charges of involuntary manslaughter and dereliction-of-duty, but has not specified how the two may have committed the offenses. The Navy hearing will help determine whether the charges will be referred to a court-martial, dealt with administratively or dismissed. A decision likely won't be made for several weeks until after the hearing concludes.

The investigation is focused on the Feb. 26 drowning deaths of Virginia Beach-based Navy Diver 1st Class James Reyher of Caldwell, Ohio, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Ryan Harris of Gladstone, Mo.


Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Navy-holds-hearing-in-Va-on-deaths-of-divers-in-Md-4610703.php

[NutmegYankee]

1. Looks like the diving safety protocalls were ignored.

Diving too deep on standard air and in too cold of water.

[MADem]

2. Very curious....

Petty Officer 1st Class Fernando Almazon, who was the diving supervisor during Reyher and Harris' dive, said the men were supposed to go to the bottom of the pond to see if they could touch or see a helicopter there and come right back up. It should have taken about four minutes each way. But they failed to surface and other divers were sent in on an unsuccessful search for them. About 24 minutes had passed before they were finally pulled up. Both men were unresponsive when they reached the surface. Their deaths were ruled accidental drownings.