Navy identifies body of sailor in Hawaii - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Navy identifies body of sailor in Hawaii

SAN DIEGO — Navy officials on Monday identified as a sailor the body of a man found Saturday afternoon off a Hawaii beach a day after reports that a man in a life raft was stuck in heavy surf.

Electrician’s Mate 1st Class (SS) Robert L. Mudd, 29, was a crewmember assigned to fast attack submarine Olympia at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii, Navy Submarine Force-Pacific officials said in a news release. Mudd, of Fort Mitchell, Ken., had enlisted in the Navy in 1998 and had served with ballistic submarine Nebraska’s Gold crew and at the Trident Training Facility in Kings Bay, Ga., before he joined Olympia in May 2007.

Mudd is believed to be the man seen by several people, including personnel at the base tower, about 6:20 p.m. Friday, after they spotted flares in the air near Pyramid Rock Beach, said Maj. Alan Crouch, a base spokesman. The beach lies along the northern coast of the base, also known as Kaneohe Bay and home to a Navy P-3 Orion wing, 3rd Marine Regiment and other units.

Several rescue swimmers assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii and the base’s game warden had noticed the flares and a short time later spotted a man in a life raft about 50 to 60 yards off the beach and “who appeared to be in distress,” Crouch said.

But strong currents and high surf, which led base officials to cancel a planned Saturday surfing contest, made a rescue difficult for swimmers and small boats, Crouch said.

Mudd was last seen about 7 p.m. About an hour after the flares were first spotted, the life raft washed ashore, along with a flare gun and waterproof box, but the man was not inside, he said.

The search for the man continued through the evening Friday and into Saturday, with Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopters and HC-130 Hercules aircraft assisting military police and Honolulu Fire Department with the effort.

Mudd was wearing snorkeling gear when base lifeguards found his body about 20 yards off the beach about 1:40 p.m. Saturday, Navy officials said.

Officials provided few details about the incident, citing the investigation, which is being done by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Honolulu Police Department.

Lt. Cmdr. Dave Benham, Navy Submarine Force-Pacific spokesman, said Mudd’s command reported him missing on Saturday when the sailor did not report for duty, “before they knew what had occurred.” Mudd subsequently was identified, and his family was notified, Benham said.

The Olympia crew plans to remember Mudd at a memorial service planned for later this week at Submarine Memorial Chapel at Pearl Harbor, according to Submarine Forces-Pacific officials.