American Military News by Andrew Dyer - The San Diego Union-Tribune January 11, 2022
‘They were turning over garbage’: Marine board hears case in deadly amphibious vehicle sinking
It was the first time the Marines of 1/4 had conducted waterborne operations in the Vietnam War-era vehicles.
While on the island, some AAVs had mechanical problems, including AAV No. 5 — the one that later sank. This delayed the Marines’ return to the Somerset. Nine AAVs eventually began the return trip, and four remained behind. One almost immediately began taking on water and turned back to the island.
The other eight — including AAV No. 5 — pressed on toward the Somerset. That AAV’s transmission failed when it was more than halfway to the ship and it began taking on water. Without its transmission operating, it could not pump the water out. The armored AAV sank beneath hundreds of feet of water.
Three investigations, one from the Navy and two from the Marines, found that the AAVs given to 1/4 by the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion were in poor mechanical condition.
“They were turning over garbage to 1/4,” lead investigator Col. Fridrik Fridriksson told the board Thursday.
Further, the Marines of 1/4 were not fully swim qualified nor had they completed training that might have helped them escape the crippled, sinking vehicle. Those training programs, investigators said, were mandatory.
Fridriksson told the board that Regner failed to ensure his Marines were qualified in swimming, qualified in underwater vehicle evacuation and to ensure the AAVs his Marines would ride in were in good material condition.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/01/they-were-turning-over-garbage-marine-board-hears-case-in-deadly-amphibious-vehicle-sinking/
