{"id":36575,"date":"2019-10-09T22:44:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T22:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/09\/how-a-junior-officers-horrific-death-sparked-reforms-in-navy-rhib-operations\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:27:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:27:22","slug":"how-a-junior-officers-horrific-death-sparked-reforms-in-navy-rhib-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/10\/09\/how-a-junior-officers-horrific-death-sparked-reforms-in-navy-rhib-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"How a junior officer\u2019s horrific death sparked reforms in Navy RHIB operations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/10\/navy-ids-5th-fleet-sailor-killed-in-training-accident\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ensign Sarah Mitchell<\/a> graduated from <a href=\"https:\/\/vt.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Virginia Tech<\/a> in 2017 and joined the Navy, her proud mom accepted that she might never return home if a war broke out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Betsy Mitchell never expected to lose her 23-year-old daughter to a horrific training accident in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf she was in battle, I would understand this,\u201d she said. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t supposed to happen. We are broken.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After departing the guided-missile destroyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.public.navy.mil\/surflant\/ddg109\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=_blank>Jason Dunham<\/a> on July 8, 2018, Ensign Mitchell was thrown from a rigid hull inflatable boat \u2014 or <a href=\"https:\/\/navylive.dodlive.mil\/tag\/rigid-hull-inflatable-boats-rhib\/\" target=_blank>RHIB<\/a> \u2014 when the driver attempted the \u201cdonut,\u201d according to an internal investigation obtained by Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was struck by the propeller, suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead a few hours later at a Jordanian hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who saw something that they shouldn\u2019t have,\u201d said her mom. \u201cThe only thing I want to see is change, because this wasn\u2019t supposed to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/10\/navy-ids-5th-fleet-sailor-killed-in-training-accident\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ENS_Mitchell.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Navy ID\u2019s 5th Fleet sailor killed in training accident<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Navy officials have confirmed the identity of a sailor from the guided-missile destroyer Jason Dunham who was killed July 8 during small boat operations in 5th Fleet.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials redacted nearly all the names mentioned in the copy of the probe provided to Navy Times following a Freedom of Information Act request \u2014 even the identity of the report\u2019s author \u2014 but everyone seemed to agree that Ensign Mitchell\u2019s last hours on a RHIB called \u201cBilly Hampton\u201d were spent on a beautiful Red Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSun was shining, and seas were flat,\u201d a search-and-rescue swimmer on board the RHIB that day recalled. \u201cWe were having a good time\u2026we were happy to be off the ship for the first time in a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dunham was in the early stages of a deployment that would not bring the crew home to Norfolk until December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell was serving as the Billy Hampton\u2019s boat officer that day, the first time she had done so since recently qualifying for the duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone was pretty excited that morning,\u201d the small boat\u2019s coxswain recalled. \u201cEveryone likes getting in the RHIB\u2026I thought we were going to do some training, show the midshipmen a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He\u2019d just gotten off the midnight to 7 a.m. watch when he learned that morning he\u2019d be driving the RHIB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI got about two hours of sleep between watch and coming down to the boat deck,\u201d the sailor recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coxswain had conducted small boat ops with Mitchell back in Virginia and \u201chad total confidence\u201d in her abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI had heard, \u2018this [small boat ops] is what we do to convince you to go SWO,\u2019\u201d a midshipman on another RHIB that day said. \u201cIt was a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1587\" height=\"1017\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg 1587w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg?resize=300,192 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg?resize=768,492 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,656 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sarah-mitchell-family-pic.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,984 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1587px) 100vw, 1587px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Before her deployment aboard the warship Jason Dunham, a few short months before her death, Ensign Sarah Mitchell, rear center, returned home to Oakford, Pennsylvania, to see her parents and siblings. &#8220;We are broken, her mother, Betsy Mitchell, said. (Photo courtesy Mitchell family)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell\u2019s first batch of passengers included a shipmate who held his reenlistment on the waves. The second group was riding the RHIB at 10:21 a.m. when the coxswain began a 50-yard, full-throttle turn to port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s often called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatus.com\/magazine\/2017\/october\/mastering-the-pivot-turn.asp\" target=\"_blank\">a pivot<\/a> turn in the fleet but was referred to as a \u201cdonut\u201d by the sailors in the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cENS Mitchell had just finished telling people to hold between their legs,\u201d the RHIB\u2019s boat engineer that day said. \u201cThe hard turn was routine ops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coxswain said he was between 90 to 180 degrees into the move when there came &#8220;an impact that jarred everyone to starboard,\u201d jerking his grip off the throttle and nearly jettisoning him from the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI felt the jolt through the entire boat\u2014from my feet to the console,\u201d the coxswain said. \u201cI have never experienced anything like that in my 15 years of driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt seemed like the boat skipped,\u201d another sailor recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RHIB was \u201ctripping,\u201d its stern going airborne before bottoming out on the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell and three other passengers were thrown off the starboard side into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4159\" height=\"2773\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg 4159w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4159px) 100vw, 4159px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Teams from the warship Jason Dunham speed across the Gulf of Aden in rigid hull inflatable boats, or RHIBs, in November 2018. In July of that year, Ensign Sarah Mitchell fell from a Dunham RHIB and died. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lead investigator later questioned what the Dunham\u2019s crew had been told about how to ride a RHIB. They said they\u2019d always been told to sit on the side <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sponson\" target=_blank>sponson<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.public.navy.mil\/netc\/centers\/cscs\/Default.aspx\" target=_blank>Center for Surface Combat Systems Coxswain School<\/a> instructors teach that \u201cthe sponson functions like a trampoline,\u201d and that passengers should crouch or stand on board a RHIB, using the centerline and inboard lifelines for stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHad personnel been properly instructed on how to ride the RHIB and used the additional safety gear, all four individuals might not have been ejected,\u201d the investigator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the coxswain had driven small boats for years, he never attended &#8220;any other formal training on operating (seven-meter) RHIBS,\u201d the investigator wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coxswain said he instead \u201ctrained under experienced boatswains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, his years of experience should\u2019ve &#8220;been enough to preclude him from making such a high risk maneuver,\u201d the investigator determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learning about the tripping hazard \u201cis not a pre-requisite for Boat Coxswain qualification,\u201d Capt. Kevin M. Kennedy, then-commodore of Dunham\u2019s parent command, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.public.navy.mil\/surflant\/cds28\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=_blank>Destroyer Squadron 28<\/a>, wrote in his investigation endorsement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGaps\u201d in official guidance and personnel qualification standards suggested the coxswain \u201cwas not presently aware of the concept of \u2018tripping\u2019 and he did not knowingly and intentionally accept unmitigated risk to do so,\u201d Kennedy wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4960\" height=\"3307\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg 4960w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-2.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4960px) 100vw, 4960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors from the warship Jason Dunham approach a dhow for inspection in their rigid hull inflatable boats, or RHIBs, in late 2018 in the Gulf of Aden, just a few months after Ensign Sarah Mitchell fell from one of the RHIBs,  was struck by the propeller and died.  (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recovering from the trip, the coxswain pulled himself back up and turned the RHIB to port to straighten out and stop the turn. As he killed the propeller \u201cwe hit ENS Mitchell,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019d passed directly under the boat and was &#8220;struck on the head by the stern drive, which inflicted severe head trauma,\u201d the investigating officer wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RHIB\u2019s rescue swimmer had loosened his grip and allowed himself to get \u201ctossed\u201d when he saw the others go overboard. As he neared Mitchell, he found her floating face down \u201csurrounded by a cloud of blood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHer injuries were too significant to recognize her,\u201d the rescue swimmer recalled. \u201cI can\u2019t stress enough the severity of this injury.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh God, oh God,\u201d sailors recalled the coxswain saying. \u201cWhat did I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI tried to distract the midshipmen from looking at ENS Mitchell,\u201d the boat engineer said. \u201cI knew it would upset them to keep looking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RHIB\u2019s engine died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell\u2019s life jacket was wrapped in the propeller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3788\" height=\"2706\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg 3788w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg?resize=768,549 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,732 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1097 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dunham-rhib-3.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1463 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3788px) 100vw, 3788px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ensign Samantha Rados, right, and Machinist&#8217;s Mate 2nd Class Samuel Green, center, assigned to the warship Jason Dunham, pull Quartermaster 2nd Class Christopher McGann, a search and rescue swimmer out of the water on a litter into a rigid-hull inflatable boat during training during the ship&#8217;s 2018 deployment. A few month&#8217;s before, their shipmate, Ensign Sarah Mitchell, died after falling from a RHIB and getting struck by the propeller.  (Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearby, the crew of the RHIB \u201cKelly Miller\u201d was conducting their own training. When they heard \u201cman overboard\u201d cries, they raced to help Mitchell\u2019s stricken RHIB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None had been prepared for what they were about to encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no local training at JASON DUNHAM on what to do in this kind of scenario,\u201d one sailor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hampton\u2019s coxswain later told the investigator that he\u2019d never trained for man overboard from a RHIB. It had never even occurred to him that he\u2019d have to confront it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the sailors placed an unrecognizable shipmate into the Miller and sped back to the destroyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe were asked who the victim was and that\u2019s when I saw her coveralls and belt buckle and saw that it was ENS Mitchell,\u201d one sailor recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only later did the rescue swimmer realize that the injured shipmate was Mitchell, his division officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Dunham\u2019s side, crews struggled to get her off the RHIB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rescue swimmer recounted how their use of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/Stokes%20litter\" target=_blank>Stokes Litter<\/a> \u201cshocked me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is not configured for recovery, nor does it have installed flotation for over-water rescue,\u201d the swimmer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shipmates considered lifting the entire RHIB, but that would be too heavy with passengers still on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell eventually was brought aboard the ship on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buyemp.com\/product\/reeves-sleeve\" target=_blank>Reeves Sleeve<\/a> stretcher, which had a single hoisting attachment, meaning the she went up vertically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbout halfway up the side the heaving motion caused her head to slip out of the headband and fall,\u201d the swimmer said. \u201cThis was absolutely horrifying and had a tremendous effect on the boat crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have not had training on how to raise this kind of litter from a RHIB to the ship,\u201d the Miller\u2019s coxswain told investigators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The coxswain wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one interviewed had ever been trained to or evaluated on hoisting an injured person from a RHIB despite being fully qualified and certified,\u201d the investigator concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When she made it to the top, the waiting corpsman confronted severe injuries that exceeded what could be treated on board the destroyer. But she still had a weak yet palpable pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The independent duty corpsman cut an incision in her throat to open her airway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe was alive when she came on board but the disposition was not looking optimistic,\u201d the corpsman later said. \u201cIf she recovered, I would not have expected her to have any sort of normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A helicopter flew Mitchell off the ship at 11:30 a.m. and she was pronounced dead 75 minutes later at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sigma.jo\/en\/prince-hashem-bin-abdullah-ii-military-hospital\" target=_blank>Prince Hashem bin Abdullah Hospital<\/a> in Aqaba, Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4186\" height=\"2791\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg 4186w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mitchell-memorial.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4186px) 100vw, 4186px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ensign Sarah Mitchell&#8217;s shipmates aboard the warship Jason Dunham pay their respects during a memorial ceremony at sea in August 2018. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the probe urged that the RHIB\u2019s driver be disciplined, it also recommended administrative action against the Dunham\u2019s commanding and executive officers, plus several other unnamed leaders on the warship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exactly who was punished for what remains unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The head of Destroyer Squadron 28 signed off on the official investigation into the accident 19 days after Mitchell\u2019s death \u201cand took appropriate corrective actions against several personnel assigned to the crew,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/05\/05\/new-fleet-forces-boss-readiness-is-our-business\/\" target=_blank>U.S. Fleet Forces Command<\/a> spokesman Cmdr. Sarah Self-Kyler told Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause these actions were administrative in nature, I am not able to provide details or specific information due to Privacy Act regulations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigating officer, and the admirals who endorsed the investigation, chided the Dunham\u2019s leadership for not ensuring that planning and briefing were done for that day\u2019s RHIB exercises like they would for other training events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During their deployment, the destroyer\u2019s crew had practiced on small boats twice before the accident, \u201craising the concern of whether the operation was truly routine,\u201d according to the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RHIBs that day were filled with inexperienced passengers, mostly boat officers-in-training and Naval Academy midshipmen, raising the risk of tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy properly planning and briefing, leadership could have identified risks and provided guidance on the purpose the training,\u201d the investigator wrote. \u201cThis could have extinguished any ideas of \u2018joy riding,\u2019 \u2018showing off\u2019 or taking the RHIBs to their limits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/14\/worse-than-you-thought-inside-the-secret-fitzgerald-probe-the-navy-doesnt-want-you-to-read\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FITZMAIN2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Worse than you thought: inside the secret Fitzgerald probe the Navy doesn\u2019t want you to read<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It was kept secret from the public in part because it was designed to prep the Navy for potential lawsuits in the aftermath of the accident.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report\u2019s author also determined that a busy tempo of operations that day and \u201ctask saturation\u201d contributed to lackadaisical planning for the exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in his endorsement letter, Destroyer Squadron 28\u2032s former commodore Kennedy pushed back on the finding, saying the warship\u2019s schedule that day &#8220;was what I would expect for a multi-mission platform at the peak of its readiness on deployment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kennedy agreed that leaders \u201cmust speak hard truth to higher\u201d when task saturation and similar problems arise, but the ship \u201chad not reached this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the coxswain on Mitchell\u2019s RHIB was operating a boat on little sleep and other passengers also lacked rest, Kennedy attributed that to a lapse in proper planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI do not believe this tragedy would have been avoided with better planning alone,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/06\/11\/navy-probe-rules-vice-admirals-death-a-suicide\/\" target=_blank>late Vice Adm. Scott Stearney<\/a> \u2015 then the commander of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet \u2014 wrote in his November endorsement that the warship lacked \u201cthe rigor of formality\u201d during operations and training that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUltimately, the Commanding Officer, backed up by the entire chain of command, is responsible and accountable for setting and reinforcing this culture of formality, and its failure on 8 July,\u201d Stearney wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stearney also determined that the probe raised &#8220;questions regarding the safety and adequacy of the 7 meter RHIB, including adequate seating and hand-holds for passengers and crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5493\" height=\"3662\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg 5493w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Dunham.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5493px) 100vw, 5493px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">By November 2018, the warship Jason Dunham was operating in the Gulf of Aden and would soon return home to Norfolk. Ensign Sarah Mitchell would not be with them. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ensign Mitchell did not die in vain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The accident exposed glaring shortfalls in how the Navy had been operating small boats for years, problems officials consistently failed to consider until her tragic death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the wake of the probe, the surface fleet conducted a review and a safety stand down and the sea service updated training and curriculum \u201cto ensure small boat fundamentals include the use of the centerline lifeline and proper passenger distribution,\u201d Fleet Forces spokeswoman Self-Kyler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe review resulted in improvements to crew qualification standards, training curricula, safety features in the small boats, and administrative processes,\u201d Self-Kyler added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe will never forget the lessons she, and this tragic event, have taught us,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/bio.asp?bioID=833\" target=_blank>Rear Adm. Roy Kitchener<\/a>, the head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.public.navy.mil\/surflant\/hq\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=_blank>Naval Surface Force Atlantic<\/a>, said in a prepared statement provided to Navy Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Surface community has learned from this incident, and we will continue to improve surface force operations to prevent situations like this in the future,\u201d he said. \u201cWe owe it to our Sailors to keep them safe and ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the four-star admiral at the helm of Fleet Forces Command suggested in his May endorsement of the investigation that the Navy could have shored up those issues before they claimed the life of a gifted young officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA tragic and unfortunate series of events led to Ensign Mitchell\u2019s death,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/navybio.asp?bioID=636\" target=_blank>Adm. Christopher Grady<\/a> wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile the execution of safe boat operations and incorporation of (formalized planning and briefing) may have prevented this accident, there are still several inconsistencies in guidelines in our training pipeline that should have been addressed earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ensign Sarah Mitchell didn&#8217;t die in 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a junior officer\u2019s horrific death sparked reforms in Navy RHIB operations - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ensign Sarah Mitchell didn&#039;t die in vain.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a junior officer\u2019s horrific death sparked reforms in Navy RHIB operations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ensign Sarah Mitchell didn&#039;t die in vain.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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