{"id":23939,"date":"2019-03-11T23:18:44","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T23:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/11\/did-loose-lockers-doom-the-fitzgerald-seven\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:01:50","slug":"did-loose-lockers-doom-the-fitzgerald-seven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/03\/11\/did-loose-lockers-doom-the-fitzgerald-seven\/","title":{"rendered":"Did loose lockers doom the Fitzgerald seven?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"477\" height=\"560\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6776\" data-id=\"6776\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17.png.png 477w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17.png.png?resize=256,300 256w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Graffiti aboard the warship Fitzgerald after seven sailors died in a June 2017 collision. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"637\" height=\"477\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6786\" data-id=\"6786\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/14.png_b7cd5e.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/14.png_b7cd5e.png 637w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/14.png_b7cd5e.png?resize=300,225 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 637px) 100vw, 637px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Sailors aboard the stricken warship Fitzgerald form a bucket brigade following the ship&#8217;s fatal collision with a merchant vessel on June 17, 2017. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"478\" height=\"639\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6797\" data-id=\"6797\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9.png.png 478w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/9.png.png?resize=224,300 224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The hulking merchant vessel ACX Crystal struck the warship Fitzgerald&#8217;s captain&#8217;s quarters directly, injuring the ship&#8217;s skipper, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, in the process. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"477\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6802\" data-id=\"6802\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11.png.png 638w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/11.png.png?resize=300,224 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The damaged living quarters of the warship Fitzgerald&#8217;s skipper, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, after a fatal collision in June 2017. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"477\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6811\" data-id=\"6811\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/12.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/12.png.png 638w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/12.png.png?resize=300,224 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Sailors aboard the warship Fitzgerald rest as the ship makes its way back to land following a June 2017 collision that killed seven of their shipmates. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"560\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6825\" data-id=\"6825\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/16.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/16.png.png 480w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/16.png.png?resize=257,300 257w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Sailors aboard the warship Fitzgerald as it made its way back to land following a fatal collision in June 2017. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"479\" height=\"559\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6832\" data-id=\"6832\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13.png.png 479w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/13.png.png?resize=257,300 257w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Sailors on the stricken warship Fitzgerald as it made its way back to land following a June 2017 collision that killed seven. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"638\" height=\"477\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6839\" data-id=\"6839\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6.png.png 638w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6.png.png?resize=300,224 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Damage aboard the warship Fitzgerald following its June 17, 2017, collision with a merchant vessel. (Photo provided to Navy TImes)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"639\" height=\"479\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-6846\" data-id=\"6846\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png 639w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png?resize=300,225 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">The stricken warship Fitzgerald as it makes its way back to land following a June 17, 2017, collision that killed seven sailors. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SAN DIEGO \u2014 On June 17, 2017, Fire Controlman 3rd Class John Mead had less than two minutes to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the bulbous bow of the massive cargo vessel ACX Crystal speared through the starboard side of the warship Fitzgerald, seawater surged through the gash and into Berthing 2, where he slept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it wasn\u2019t merely the jolt from the impact or the rising flood that conspired to kill him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a flotsam of lockers sheared away by the collision, bobbing and bumping into each other in the dark, blocking escape paths through already cramped confines and, at one point, trapping him underwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was the last man out. Below him, seven shipmates drowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Navy Times, the 28-year-old spoke of coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/the-empowerment-diary\/201801\/what-everybody-should-know-about-survivors-guilt\" target=_blank>survivor\u2019s guilt<\/a>, but his mind kept returning to those lockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think they played a huge role in costing lives,\u201d Mead told Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the nearly two years since the disaster on board the guided-missile destroyer, Mead said no Navy leader has explained how supposedly secured lockers came loose, much less detailed what the service will do to make sure the the problem isn\u2019t repeated if another warship is struck, in combat or peacetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was one of the things that upset me most about the accident,\u201d he said. \u201cHow are those lockers secured?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"919\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lockers.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lockers.png.png 919w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lockers.png.png?resize=300,205 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lockers.png.png?resize=768,526 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors who survived the 2017 fatal collision of the warship Fitzgerald say that detached lockers in Berthing 2 nearly doomed them. (Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead\u2019s concerns were echoed by other survivors who contacted Navy Times in the wake of a series of January stories that exposed the grim truth about problems plaguing the Fitzgerald both before and after it collided with the ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like him, they described lockers that weren\u2019t bolted to the bulkheads but instead just riveted to the racks or bracketed to fixtures, but they can\u2019t speak publicly without official authorization from their superiors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead concedes that he\u2019s not a marine engineer or naval architect, but he believes \u201cthere\u2019s got to be a better solution to ensure safety for people who sleep down there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although <a href=\"https:\/\/partner-mco-archive.s3.amazonaws.com\/client_files\/1503000639.pdf\" target=_blank>an official report compiled by the Navy<\/a> mentions the lockers as part of the jumble of objects awash in Berthing 2 in the aftermath of the collision with the ACX Crystal, how they hindered escape wasn\u2019t highlighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a secret probe overseen by Rear Adm. Brian Fort and submitted to superiors 41 days after the 2017 accident goes deeper into the danger the lockers posed to Mead and his shipmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe most significant impediment to (sailors) escaping Berthing 2 was the number of stand up lockers and racks which had broken free following impact and the onrush of seawater flooding the space,\u201d Fort wrote. \u201cFree-floating lockers and at least one dislodged rack obstructed the movement of (sailors) from starboard to port to egress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Fitz was drained of seawater, a post-collision analysis determined \u201cthat many Berthing 2 lockers had become unsecured, creating debris in the space,\u201d Fort wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.navsea.navy.mil\/\" target=_blank>Naval Sea Systems Command<\/a>, or NAVSEA, \u201cshould review the damage to FTZ lockers and racks from this collision and assess whether performance was in accordance with design specifications,&#8221; he recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 21 months since the Fitz disaster, however, it remains unclear what, if anything, the Navy has done to remedy Fort\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Feb. 25, Navy Times submitted a list of written queries to officials about the lockers, including questions about how they were fixed to the destroyer and its furnishing and whether changes have been made to better secure them on other ships in the event of a collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnfortunately, I won\u2019t be able to provide a response to this query,\u201d said NAVSEA spokeswoman Colleen O\u2019Rourke in an email sent to Navy Times nine days later. \u201cHopefully I will be able to assist you in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, Cmdr. Jereal Dorsey, another service spokesman, emailed that \u201cthe Navy routinely evaluates all aspects of shipboard life to ensure the safety and welfare of our Sailors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"639\" height=\"479\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png 639w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2.png.png?resize=300,225 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The stricken warship Fitzgerald as it makes its way back to land following a June 17, 2017, collision that killed seven sailors. (Photo provided to Navy Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What isn\u2019t in dispute is that the Navy requires shipboard furniture that\u2019s often very different from what civilians can buy in a store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The material used for lockers and other furnishings routinely must be designed and manufactured to meet high standards for repelling fire, resisting corrosion and withstanding shock, while at the same time meeting cost and weight concerns, especially for combat ships, according to studies located by Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NAVSEA directives guide the type of metal that\u2019s used and how furnishings are bolted to a surface. Considerations often are made for sanitation, which is why some pieces are designed to stand at least six inches above a deck so that sailors can clean underneath them easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on where a piece of furniture is located, it might be designed to withstand increased wear and tear, rolling in storm conditions, shipboard vibrations and even extreme shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How a piece is welded, latched, screwed or riveted to a surface also will be based on assumptions about how it can become dangerous, such as shearing off and turning into an airborne missile or tumbling off a mount onto an unsuspecting sailor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it remains unclear if the Navy has reassessed the design and material of below deck furnishings in the aftermath of the Fitzgerald collision or if officials have reconsidered the level of shock testing required for mountings in those spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About to be medically discharged because of his near-death on board the Fitz, Mead told Navy Times that he raised questions about the lockers directly with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and then-Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven Giordano during a meeting in Japan shortly after the accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey just told me they\u2019d look into it,&#8221; he said, recalling that the session with them lasted &#8220;less than 30 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was kind of like, \u2018We\u2019ll be resilient,\u2019\u201d Mead remembered them saying. &#8220;Navy talk. Kind of talking us up, but it wasn\u2019t anything significant, really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,536 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A year after the destroyer Fitzgerald lost seven sailors in a horrific collision, some former shipmates worry if they will be able to get underway again. The destroyer&#8217;s damaged right side is shown here as it made its way back to land after the June 17, 2017, collision. (Photo courtesy Sean Babbitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead told Navy Times that he had been asleep for about two hours when the ACX Crystal struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He slept on the bottom rack near the starboard side, bunking with several of the sailors who drowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(Dakota Rigsby) slept above me. Tan Huynh slept across from me,\u201d Mead said. \u201c(Shingo Douglass) slept across from me on the top rack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The collision knocked Mead against the bulkhead and then out of his rack. Seconds later, he remembered, a \u201cbig stream of water\u201d rushed in from the starboard hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut by the time I got up and got to the end of my aisle, I looked right at first because the closest exit was there\u2026it looked like water coming in from the floor to the ceiling,\u201d Mead said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He tried to go left but \u201cthe water lifted me up off my feet and swept me into the bathroom. And then I saw someone else get dragged into the bathroom. I\u2019m not sure who it was.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s when Mead first noticed the lockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe main thing I had to battle to get out of the bathroom was one of those lockers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt actually came directly into the bathroom and would\u2019ve pinned me against the wall if I hadn\u2019t jumped on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead said he made his way to port and was moving toward the hatch ladder when several other loose lockers blocked his way, the water rising by the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fire Controlman 2nd Class Jackson Schrimsher later told investigators that a locker fell onto him as he tried to escape but Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Rehm pushed him out from under it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rehm was the oldest and most senior sailor to die in Berthing 2. He was posthumously promoted to chief petty officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead recalls watching Schrimsher climb over the lockers and navigate the tight space between them and the overhead of the berthing on his way to the port escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Mead was shorter and spent precious seconds trying to get himself over the blockage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rehm was behind him and pushed him up, Mead remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs soon as I got on top of the locker, the water filled the whole space and we were completely submerged,\u201d he said. \u201cI tried to take one last breath while I was on top of those lockers and I just breathed straight water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead couldn\u2019t move and was pinned between the dislodged locker and the overhead and he figured he\u2019d die there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was the first time I had any type of thought,\u201d Mead said. \u201cEverything before was just a reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI started thinking about my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead recalls that he kept thrashing and somehow grabbed an overhead pipe and yanked himself free. He estimates he still had to swim 15 to 20 feet to reach a ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe whole time I was moving to the exit, I was slowly breathing in water, like involuntary gasps,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He groped for a rung and then two sailors hauled him out. He slid across the deck and started coughing up water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I looked back at the hatch, the water was only inches away from the top,\u201d Mead said. \u201cI was the last one to be pulled out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/John-Mead.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-49464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/John-Mead.png.png 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/John-Mead.png.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/John-Mead.png.png?resize=768,513 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fire Controlman 3rd Class John Mead (Photo courtesy John Mead)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the lockers hadn\u2019t blocked the way, Mead believes more sailors could have escaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt would\u2019ve been more time for us to get out to the exit,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause of that, Gary Rehm wasn\u2019t able to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead remembered glancing at another sailor who was struggling in a back aisle among the racks. He said a fellow survivor described lockers jamming the narrow paths between the racks, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead wishes he could recall the face of another shipmate swept by the surge of seawater into a bathroom, deeper in than he went, or the sailor struggling in an aisle to get free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can only imagine how hard it would\u2019ve been to get out to the main aisle with all the lockers there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Japan, after the Fitz had been drained of seawater, Mead returned to Berthing 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everything was in shambles, just like the night of the collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou couldn\u2019t walk in there,\u201d he said. \u201cYou had to climb over lockers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three survivors of the Fitzgerald collision echo a secret Navy report into the fatal 2017 disaster about the potentially lethal problem caused by dislodged lockers blocking escape routes. 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