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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Russell Tjepkema

Aired May 25, 2003 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour aboard the U.S. Navy ship returning from the war in Iraq. The crew of the USS Nassau lost one if it's crew on the home stretch. A sailor fell overboard in what the ship's captain says was a freak accident. It happened near Bermuda about 900 miles east of Virginia. CNN takes you aboard the Nassau where our Frank Buckley is with the ship's captain.
Good morning to you, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin. We're on the bridge of the USS Nassau right now, steaming back first to North Carolina, where Marines will be disembarking and then moving up later in the week to Virginia. We want to show you first where we are. As we say, we're in the bridge, there driving the ship from this location as we head back in the direction of North Carolina tomorrow morning. Some 1,100 -- 1,300 Marines will be getting off of the USS Nassau. If you look down from the flight deck, you can -- we can show you the pilot house where we are, the bridge, it's part of the super- structure of the USS Nassau. We'll take you back out and show you the front of the ship as it steams toward North Carolina. You can see some of the aircraft on the deck, there's some 30 aircraft aboard this ship, mostly helicopters, but also five Harrier vertical takeoff and landing jets that are flown by the Marines.

As you mentioned, Martin, this homecoming has been darkened by the loss of a young man, 23-year-old Dwayne Williams, who is a sailor who just on Friday was playing football, playing catch on the flight deck, attempted to chase a ball off the end of the flight deck, tripped, and we're told that he went over the side. Man overboard procedures were instituted immediately, but he could not be recovered and so joining us now to talk about this is Captain Russell Tjepkema. Captain, I know this has been a difficult thing for you, personally. You were saying this has shaken the ship's company to its core.

CAPT. RUSSELL TJEPKEMA, U.S. NAVY: It absolutely has. This is the worst day in the ship's life. We'd steamed 52,000 miles, been deployed for nine months, now, launched aircraft in support of Iraqi Freedom. Dwayne Williams was (UNINTELLIGIBLE), he pumped the gas, he took care -- he took care of the fuel stations, and he had aircraft flying over him all the time, and then on a non-fly day -- a day he should have been resting, he -- someone tossed him a football, he walked out, tripped and fell in.

BUCKLEY: And you were telling us yesterday you believe that you were the last person -- you actually saw him in the water? TJEPKEMA: I came to the bridge, as the ship was maneuvering. I saw him in the water. We spotted where he was so we could get the SAR helos on top of him. We had a boat in the water and then when I looked back after getting the helos up, the lookout and I both lost him, you know. We marked the spot, in about 40 minutes we had five SAR helos up in two ships. We searched for nine hours, we couldn't find him.

BUCKLEY: I know you've been asking yourself this question, you've been up at night late thinking about it. You told us this idea of did you search long enough, nine hours, it was dark, was that time to call off the search and why?

TJEPKEMA: It certainly was. The survival -- his ability to survive in that temperature water was about three hours. We searched for nine hours. I knew exactly where he was and we looked at what the drift was, with relation to the life rings and the smoke float, and he -- we could not find him. We know he couldn't have drifted far from that datum. And that coupled with the survivability time in that temperature water, he was gone.

BUCKLEY: One more thing and that is, his family in Philadelphia, I know you'll send them a personal letter, but is there anything that you want them to know as you approach this homecoming?

TJEPKEMA: Dwayne Williams was an absolutely fine sailor. Everybody knew him on the ship. I knew him personally, he was cheerful, good humor -- good humored and he talked about his wife and mom and grandma a lot.

BUCKLEY: All right. Thank you very much, captain, on a very difficult day for the men and women of this ship and the two others, the Austin and the Toruga, also steaming in to North Carolina and then into Virginia -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: What a tragic story on what should be such a happy homecoming. Frank Buckley, thank you very much for joining us -- live at sea.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 25, 2003 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour aboard the U.S. Navy ship returning from the war in Iraq. The crew of the USS Nassau lost one if it's crew on the home stretch. A sailor fell overboard in what the ship's captain says was a freak accident. It happened near Bermuda about 900 miles east of Virginia. CNN takes you aboard the Nassau where our Frank Buckley is with the ship's captain.
Good morning to you, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin. We're on the bridge of the USS Nassau right now, steaming back first to North Carolina, where Marines will be disembarking and then moving up later in the week to Virginia. We want to show you first where we are. As we say, we're in the bridge, there driving the ship from this location as we head back in the direction of North Carolina tomorrow morning. Some 1,100 -- 1,300 Marines will be getting off of the USS Nassau. If you look down from the flight deck, you can -- we can show you the pilot house where we are, the bridge, it's part of the super- structure of the USS Nassau. We'll take you back out and show you the front of the ship as it steams toward North Carolina. You can see some of the aircraft on the deck, there's some 30 aircraft aboard this ship, mostly helicopters, but also five Harrier vertical takeoff and landing jets that are flown by the Marines.

As you mentioned, Martin, this homecoming has been darkened by the loss of a young man, 23-year-old Dwayne Williams, who is a sailor who just on Friday was playing football, playing catch on the flight deck, attempted to chase a ball off the end of the flight deck, tripped, and we're told that he went over the side. Man overboard procedures were instituted immediately, but he could not be recovered and so joining us now to talk about this is Captain Russell Tjepkema. Captain, I know this has been a difficult thing for you, personally. You were saying this has shaken the ship's company to its core.

CAPT. RUSSELL TJEPKEMA, U.S. NAVY: It absolutely has. This is the worst day in the ship's life. We'd steamed 52,000 miles, been deployed for nine months, now, launched aircraft in support of Iraqi Freedom. Dwayne Williams was (UNINTELLIGIBLE), he pumped the gas, he took care -- he took care of the fuel stations, and he had aircraft flying over him all the time, and then on a non-fly day -- a day he should have been resting, he -- someone tossed him a football, he walked out, tripped and fell in.

BUCKLEY: And you were telling us yesterday you believe that you were the last person -- you actually saw him in the water? TJEPKEMA: I came to the bridge, as the ship was maneuvering. I saw him in the water. We spotted where he was so we could get the SAR helos on top of him. We had a boat in the water and then when I looked back after getting the helos up, the lookout and I both lost him, you know. We marked the spot, in about 40 minutes we had five SAR helos up in two ships. We searched for nine hours, we couldn't find him.

BUCKLEY: I know you've been asking yourself this question, you've been up at night late thinking about it. You told us this idea of did you search long enough, nine hours, it was dark, was that time to call off the search and why?

TJEPKEMA: It certainly was. The survival -- his ability to survive in that temperature water was about three hours. We searched for nine hours. I knew exactly where he was and we looked at what the drift was, with relation to the life rings and the smoke float, and he -- we could not find him. We know he couldn't have drifted far from that datum. And that coupled with the survivability time in that temperature water, he was gone.

BUCKLEY: One more thing and that is, his family in Philadelphia, I know you'll send them a personal letter, but is there anything that you want them to know as you approach this homecoming?

TJEPKEMA: Dwayne Williams was an absolutely fine sailor. Everybody knew him on the ship. I knew him personally, he was cheerful, good humor -- good humored and he talked about his wife and mom and grandma a lot.

BUCKLEY: All right. Thank you very much, captain, on a very difficult day for the men and women of this ship and the two others, the Austin and the Toruga, also steaming in to North Carolina and then into Virginia -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: What a tragic story on what should be such a happy homecoming. Frank Buckley, thank you very much for joining us -- live at sea.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com