Shipyard accident kills one, hurts two

FREELAND, Wash. – An accident at the Whidbey Island shipyard where a new Navy vessel is under construction killed one man Monday and injured two others, a sheriff’s deputy said.

The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. when an aerial drone was being lifted out of the hold of the new Navy vessel at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders yard, said Island County sheriff’s Deputy Jan Smith. She described the drone as resembling a small helicopter.

The drone, built by the Grumman Corp., was being lifted by a bolt at the top of its rotor when the bolt gave way and the drone fell about 10 feet, she said.

Smith did not know the exact size and weight of the drone.

The names, ages and hometowns of the victims were not immediately available, although Smith said the dead man was believed to be about 22.

The two injured men were taken to Whidbey General Hospital for treatment, where they were in satisfactory condition, she said.

All three were civilian employees of the shipyard.

Shipyard employees were sent home after the accident, which was being investigated by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

A phone message for comment left at the shipyard was not immediately returned Monday evening.

The ship involved is a new, 262-foot catamaran called the “Sea Fighter.”

The $73 million vessel is designed to enter waters as shallow as 12 feet and cruise close to shore for various missions, from detecting and defusing mines, to hunting submarines hiding in the shallows, to intercepting enemy supply boats.