The U.S. Navy has identified the sailor who was found dead on board the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Sunday as 22-year-old Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Darren Collins.
Collins was found unresponsive while the ship was pier side at Naval Air Station North Island in California on Sunday. Members of the Navy Region Southwest Federal Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced Collins deceased at 6:23 a.m.
The Navy has yet to reveal Collins’ official cause of death. The Navy said it is still investigating the circumstances of Collins’ death but said there are no indications of suicide or foul play.
Collins was a native of Broken Arrow, Okla. He joined the Navy in 2019. Following his initial recruit training, Collins attended Information Warfare Training in Pensacola, Florida. Collins reported to the USS Carl Vinson in October of 2020.
“My deepest condolences go out to the Collins family in this time of tragic loss,” said Capt. P. Scott Miller, the commanding officer of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. “As shipmates, we grieve the untimely passing of a talented young man. We will continue to provide support to the Vinson crew and the Collins family. In addition to our shipboard resources, our Sailors are receiving tremendous support from the base and regional mental health services.”
The Navy said the USS Carl Vinson’s psychologist, chaplains, and deployed resiliency counselor are providing various different support services to the crew, including individual counseling and support groups. Sailors on board the ship have also been notified of shore-based resources that are available to them while their ship is pier side, including Fleet and Family Support Center and counseling through Military One Source.
The USS Carl Vinson has been pier side at Naval Air Station North Island, since returning from its last deployment in February. In its final weeks of deployment, an F-35 assigned to the carrier crashed while attempting to land. The fighter jet skidded across the deck of the ship before falling over the edge and into the South China Sea. Seven sailors were injured during the crash incident and the Navy had to launch a recovery effort to find the advanced fighter jet, which had fallen into an ocean region heavily traveled by the Chinese military.
A Navy salvage team was eventually able to recover the sunken F-35 from a depth of around 12,400 feet deep in March. Five sailors were also charged for leaking footage of the F-35’s crash.
