Boater who died off of Marine base identified as Pearl Harbor sailor
Advertiser Staff and News Reports
A boater whose body was recovered in waters off of Pyramid Rock Beach near Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Saturday has been identified as a submariner assigned to the fast-attack submarine USS Olympia based at Pearl Harbor.
The Navy said Electricians Mate 1st Class Robert Lawrence Mudd, 29, of Fort Mitchell, Ky., joined the Navy in June 1998. He had been assigned to USS Olympia since May 30, 2007. He previously served at the Trident Training Facility in Kings Bay, Ga., and aboard USS Nebraska.
“Our sincerest condolences and prayers go out to the family and friends of Petty Officer Mudd,” the U.S. Pacific Fleet submarine force said.
A memorial service for the Olympia crew is being planned for later this week at the Submarine Memorial Chapel on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
Mudd’s body was found and recovered from the water, about 60 feet from the shores of Pyramid Rock Beach at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, at approximately 1:40 p.m. Saturday, the Navy said.
Navy officials said first responders from the Marine Corps base were alerted to flares sighted in the air near Pyramid Rock Beach at approximately 6:20 p.m. Friday. Shortly after, Mudd was spotted in distress in a life raft.
Marine Corps rescue swimmers, rescue boats, and the Honolulu Fire Department responded, but reduced visibility and high surf conditions prevented rescuers from reaching Mudd, officials said.
The high surf had forced the cancellation of a surf contest earlier in the day. Rescuers lost sight of the man about 50 yards offshore around 7 p.m. Shortly afterward, military police recovered a life raft from the beach, along with a flare gun and a small, waterproof box.
Military police, a helicopter and fixed wing aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard District 14 and Honolulu Fire Department personnel continued to search throughout the night.
Mudd's body was found Saturday by Marine Corps lifeguards. No wreckage of a boat has been found at this time, the Navy said.
Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the Navy said no further details of the incident are available at this time.
