Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US Marines ID All 9 People Killed in Sea-Tank Sinking
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
August 3, 2020

Share

SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Marine Corps has identified all nine people killed when a Marine landing craft sank in hundreds of feet of water off the Southern California coast.

Only one of their bodies was found, despite an intense days-long search involving helicopters and boats ranging from inflatables to a Navy destroyer.

Found at the scene was Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels Texas. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit announced on Sunday that the others, from California, Texas, Wisconsin and Oregon, are “presumed dead.”

They include: Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 19, of Corona, California; Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California; Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin; U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California; Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Oregon; Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas; Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Oregon; and Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California.

“Literally every asset we have available” was mobilized in the search for seven Marines and a Navy corpsman, Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said Friday.

They were aboard an amphibious assault vehicle that was heading back to a Navy ship Thursday evening after a routine training exercise when it began taking on water about a half-mile from Navy-owned San Clemente Island, off San Diego.

Other assault vehicles quickly responded but couldn’t stop the 26-ton, tank-like vehicle from quickly sinking, Osterman said.

“The assumption is that it went completely to the bottom” several hundred feet below, Osterman said. That was too deep for divers, and Navy and Coast Guard were discussing ways to reach the sunken vehicle to get a view inside it, Osterman said.

The Sunken Craft, One of 13 Involved in the Exercise, Was Designed to Be Naturally Buoyant

Seven other Marines were rescued from the water; two were in stable condition at a hospital, authorities said.

All the Marines were attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at nearby Camp Pendleton. They ranged in age from 19 to early 30s and all were wearing combat gear, including body armor, and flotation vests, Osterman said.

The vehicle, known as an AAV but nicknamed an “amtrac,” for “amphibious tractor” is used to take Marines and their gear from Navy ships to land.

The sunken craft, one of 13 involved in the exercise, was designed to be naturally buoyant and had three water-tight hatches and two large troop hatches, Osterman said.

The vehicles have been used since 1972, and continually refurbished. Marine Corps officials said Friday they did not know the age or other details of the one that sank.

The Marine Corps commandant, Gen. David Berger, suspended waterborne operations of more than 800 amphibious assault vehicles across the branch until the cause of the accident is determined.

This is the third time in recent years that Camp Pendleton Marines have been injured or died in amphibious assault vehicles during training exercises.

In 2017, 14 Marines and one Navy sailor were hospitalized after their vehicle hit a natural gas line, igniting a fire that engulfed the landing craft at Camp Pendleton.

In 2011, a Marine died when an amphibious assault vehicle in a training exercise sank offshore of the camp.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

DON'T MISS

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

DON'T MISS

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

DON'T MISS

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

DON'T MISS

Stay Cool, Fresno!

DON'T MISS

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

DON'T MISS

Tanker Plane Crash Kills Firefighting Pilot in Oregon as Western Wildfires Spread

DON'T MISS

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

UP NEXT

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

UP NEXT

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash Workers Remain Contractors Due to California Supreme Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Will Meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Mending a Yearslong Rift

UP NEXT

Recall of Boar’s Head Deli Meats Announced During Investigation of Listeria Outbreak

UP NEXT

Spicy Dispute Over the Origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Winds up in Court

UP NEXT

Arson Suspect Named as Park Fire Near Chico Triples in Size

UP NEXT

Eye-Popping Construction Costs Intensify California’s Chronic Housing Shortage

UP NEXT

A Man Got Third-Degree Burns Walking on Blazing Hot Sand in Death Valley, Rangers Say

UP NEXT

CalFire Makes Quick Arrest of Arson Suspect in Explosive Park Fire Near Chico

UP NEXT

Fresno County Sheriff Thanks Community for Their Help in Finding Relatives of Deceased Man

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

1 hour ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

2 hours ago

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

2 hours ago

Stay Cool, Fresno!

2 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

3 hours ago

Tanker Plane Crash Kills Firefighting Pilot in Oregon as Western Wildfires Spread

3 hours ago

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

3 hours ago

Opening Ceremony Floats Down Seine as Paris Investigates Rail Sabotage

3 hours ago

Council Rejects Luxury NW Fresno Apartment Project. What’s Next?

4 hours ago

27 Facts About JD Vance, Trump’s Pick for VP

5 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

Artists and vendors say they plan to defy city orders banning outdoor tables and food trucks at ArtHop — some of them directly, some of them...

14 mins ago

14 mins ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

56 mins ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

1 hour ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

1 hour ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

2 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

2 hours ago

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

2 hours ago

Stay Cool, Fresno!

3 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend