SOUTH PITTSBURG, TENN. – Mourners gathered today to pay respects to a U.S. Navy sailor who died unexpectedly aboard a nuclear submarine.
Seaman William G. Mack, 21, died April 19 aboard the USS Nebraska about 250 miles off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. No cause of death has been publicly released.
A Navy spokeswoman told the Navy Times the cause is under investigation, but there was no damage to the ship and there had not been an accident. It was the third death aboard the ship since 2005, according to the Navy Times.
At Holly Avenue United Methodist Church today, the Rev. Anthony Grills remembered Seaman Mack as a energetic teen. The packed church laughed at stories of Seaman Mack’s love for “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” and his passion for history.
Before his death, Seaman Mack told his family how proud he was of his decision to follow other family members into the Navy.