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Errors led to Coast Guard divers' deaths

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 13, 2007

SEATTLE - A chain of mistakes, from untrained monitors to an impromptu ice party, led to the fatal Arctic Ocean dive of two Coast Guard crew members from Florida last Aug. 17, an official investigation has found.

"Had any link been broken, this accident would not have occurred," Vice Adm. Charles Wurster, the Coast Guard's Pacific area commander, said in a news conference Friday.

Lt. Jessica Hill, 31, of St. Augustine, and Boatswain's Mate Steven Duque, 22, of Miami, were loaded with too much weight and assisted by untrained crew members on the Healy when they dove 10 times deeper than intended, the investigation found.

Both died of asphyxia when they plunged about 200 feet in 29-degree water 500 miles north of Alaska. They were underwater about 20 minutes.

Mistakes included untrained "tenders" monitoring the divers from the ice above. The tenders thought the divers were moving sideways under the ice, rather than straight down, officials said.

Hill's tender gave her line a series of single tugs, a signal asking if she was okay. Hill, Healy's dive officer, responded to each with a single tug. She was asking the crew to stop her line, but they thought she was responding "okay" and let the line run.

Each diver carried about 60 pounds. A normal load would have been 20 to 30, officials said.

The day of the dive, an event called "ice liberty" took place, featuring impromptu dips in the icy water, games of football and beers for crew members.

Each person was limited to two beers. But no records were kept on actual consumption, which is against policy, Wurster said.

Hill and Duque did not drink, according to the investigation. One of their tenders reported having one beer, while another reported drinking three.

"The problem here was ... recreational activity was taking place at the same time as an operational activity that involves risk and specialized training," Wurster said.

The Healy, carrying about 35 scientists, was collecting data to help map the Arctic Ocean floor.

Shortly after the deaths, its commander, Capt. Douglas G. Russell, was relieved.

[Last modified January 13, 2007, 01:53:08]