Navy Identifies Submarine Sailor Who Died After Being Found on a Pier

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Crewmembers attached to the submarine USS Montana.
Crewmembers attached to the Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Montana man the ship during a commissioning ceremony in Norfolk, Va., June 25, 2022. (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer John Smolinski)

The Navy has publicly identified the sailor who died Monday after being found injured on a pier as an investigation into the death continues.

Electronics Technician Navigation 3rd Class Devon Faehnrich, who was assigned to the submarine USS Montana, was found by a fellow sailor at the shipyard at Newport News, Virginia, before being taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Cmdr. Paul Macapagal, the spokesman for Submarine Force Atlantic, said in an email to Military.com that grief counseling services and support are being provided through the chain of command and the command chaplain.

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Faehnrich was from Colorado. Military.com reached out to his family for more information but did not immediately hear back.

According to service record data provided by the Navy, Faehnrich enlisted in April 2021 and completed his boot camp and submarine training in March 2022. He reported to the Montana, a recently commissioned fast-attack sub, in the same month.

He was promoted to the rank of petty officer 3rd class in November.

Jeff Houston, a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the law enforcement agency "is conducting a thorough investigation into the death of the Sailor," while a spokesman for Huntington Ingalls' shipbuilding division ruled out the death being "a workplace accident."

The Newport News shipyard and the living conditions for sailors stationed aboard ships undergoing work there have come under heightened public and political scrutiny since the revelation of a cluster of suicides aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington that was first reported by Military.com last April.

"We deeply mourn the loss of our shipmate, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Sailor's family, friends and coworkers during this difficult time," Macapagal said in his statement.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

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