ACCIDENTAL  PEACETIME  DEATH

Unfortunately, not all deaths to Navy personnel on active duty occur during wartime.  On April 24, 1988, accidental deaths occurred aboard the submarine USS Bonefish (SS-582) as it participated in a training exercise with the guided missile frigate USS Carr (FFG-52) about 160 miles off the coast of Florida.  Twenty-two Bonefish crewmembers were injured and three crewmen, including Radioman First Class Robert Wayne Bordelon Jr., died of smoke inhalation aboard the submarine that day.

While Bonefish was submerged, seawater began leaking onto cables and electric buses in a battery-supply cableway.  This resulted in arcing that then caused an explosion, which quickly flashed into a fire within minutes.  With the temperature in the battery space reaching 1,200-degrees, the heat became so intense that it melted the soles of the shoes of crewmembers in the space above.  As the crew fought the fire, the captain ordered the submarine to the surface and because of the severity of the fire he ordered the crew to abandon ship.  A whaleboat from Carr and helicopters from both Carr and the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, successfully rescued 89 men from the burning submarine and the surrounding sea.  A Navy Spec Ops Aviation Rescue Swimmer and Navy Diver from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Seven (HS-7), with total disregard for his own safety, spent more than three hours rescuing stricken sailors, was credited with saving 19 lives, and subsequently received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his extraordinary heroism. 

The frigate USS McCloy (FF-1038) later pulled alongside Bonefish to remove the three bodies of the men who had perished.  After Bonefish was towed to Charleston, South Carolina, her damage was deemed to be so extensive that she could not be economically repaired and the submarine was decommissioned on September 28, 1988.

RM1 Robert Wayne Bordelon Jr. was laid to final rest with military honors at Willis Cemetery in Willis, Montgomery County, Texas, where his memorial marker carries the inscription: RM1 – US NAVY - VIETNAM.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)