Sailor Dies After Training Swim
A student in the Navy’s basic underwater demolition school died after losing consciousness near the finish of a 5.5-mile training swim off San Clemente Island.
John Joseph Tomlinson, 22, of Altoona, Pa., was within 50 yards of completing the swim just before 9 a.m. when he passed out, Navy Cmdr. David Dillon said.
Tomlinson was pulled from the water by his swimming partner, who gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Dillon said.
He was taken by Coast Guard helicopter to UC San Diego Medical Center, where he died Monday afternoon without regaining consciousness, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The cause of death is being investigated, Dillon said, adding that Tomlinson had no health problems.
“These people are monitored all the time and a serious problem would have been apparent,” he said.
Tomlinson, a hospital corpsman third class, was in his 17th week of the 25-week training that leads to becoming a Navy Seal.
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