SEATTLE, Washington (31 Aug 2006) -- The captain of the Seattle-based Coast Guard icebreaker Healy has lost command of the ship, two weeks after two of the ship's divers died on a research expedition in the Arctic Ocean. Capt. Douglas G. Russell was temporarily relieved of his post Wednesday after the Coast Guard's chief in the Pacific, Vice Adm. Charles D. Wurster, had a "loss of confidence in the officer's ability to command," the Coast Guard announced. Coast Guard officials wouldn't say specifically what led to that conclusion, but it's not a routine step after a fatal accident, said Lt. Cmdr. Glynn Smith, a spokesman for the Coast Guard's Pacific Area. "It depends on the facts of the case," he said. Russell had been in charge of the ship since June. He is being replaced by Capt. Daniel K. Oliver, the Healy's previous commanding officer. The Coast Guard has disclosed little about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Lt. Jessica Hill, 31, of St. Augustine, Fla., and Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Duque, 22, of Miami. The two died Aug. 17 during a routine dive about 60 feet off the bow of the Healy as it floated 500 miles north of Barrow, Alaska, Smith said. The pair were diving to check equipment and become familiar with diving in the frigid water, according to the Coast Guard. But no additional information is available because the Coast Guard is investigating the deaths, Smith said. Duque's family had little reaction to news of the captain losing command of the ship. Nathalie Duque Bello, Duque's sister, said the family does not know what led to the deaths. | | Captain Douglas G. Russell Hill's family could not be reached Wednesday. The 420-foot Healy is the largest and newest of three icebreakers stationed in Seattle. At the time of the accident, it was on a six-month scientific-research expedition that began in April. Scientists aboard the ship were studying the impact of predators on organisms at the bottom of the Bering Sea; collecting seismic data and sediment cores; and measuring water temperature and tracking nutrients from the Pacific and Arctic oceans, according to the Coast Guard. Research was cut short after the deaths, and the Healy is scheduled to return to Seattle on Monday. SCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
