Navy sailor found dead aboard docked aircraft carrier prompts investigation
A sailor has been found dead on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier docked in California.
Information Systems Technician Second Class Darren Collins, 22, from Oklahoma was found unresponsive on the carrier at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego in southern California on Sunday morning.
Mr Collins, a Petty Officer, was pronounced dead at 6.23am.
An investigation has been launched, but the Navy said in a statement on Monday that there are no indications of foul play or suicide.
Mr Collins joined the navy in 2019, going through Information Warfare Training in Pensacola, Florida, before his assignment on the USS Carl Vinson in October 2020.
Commanding Officer Captain Scott Miller said in a statement that his “deepest condolences go out to the Collins family in this time of tragic loss”.
“As shipmates, we grieve the untimely passing of a talented young man. We will continue to provide support to the Vinson crew and the Collins family,” he added. “In addition to our shipboard resources, our Sailors are receiving tremendous support from the base and regional mental health services.”
According to the United States Naval Institute’s fleet and marine tracker, the USS Carl Vinson came back to California on 14 February after being deployed for eight months.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that a Navy spokesperson declined to say where on the ship Mr Collins was found, if he lived on the ship, or if he was working over the weekend, because of the ongoing investigation into his death.
